Ex-Aston Villa man reveals failed Sunderland transfer before eventual Leicester City move

Marc Albrighton has revealed details surrounding Sunderland’s interest in the winger back in 2014.

The Tamworth-born player rose through the ranks of hometown club Aston Villa under Martin O’Neill, making his Premier League debut for the Villains during the 2009-10 season.

However, in 2014 and with over 100 games under his belt for Aston Villa, Albrighton was allowed to leave the club on a free transfer which sparked interest from several clubs, including Sunderland and Leicester City, who would eventually win the race for his signature.

Sunderland would proceed to fall through the divisions all the way to League One in the coming years as Albrighton won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Community Shield with the Foxes. The 34-year-old also picked up a Championship winners medal for the club last season.

“There were about four or five clubs interested,” Albrighton told the Under The Cosh Podcast about the race for his signature in 2014. “There was, Leicester was obviously one of them, there was Hull City, West Brom, Sunderland.

“But I looked it and I think West Brom didn't have a manager at the time, Hull weren't doing great, so I narrowed it down to Leicester and Sunderland and I spoke to Gus Poyet at Sunderland and they were offering more money.

“I just ended up choosing Leicester for whatever reason, like whether it's location or, I just, I looked it and I just thought, yeah, I'm probably going to fit in. Sunderland just went down and down again and obviously Leicester did what they did.”