Football
ESPN staff 6y

Riyad Mahrez 'deserves better' than Leicester City - Algeria coach

Riyad Mahrez deserves to play for a better club than Leicester City, Algeria coach Rabah Madjer has said, after the forward's potential transfer to Manchester City fell through on transfer deadline day.

Mahrez, an Algeria international, has twice handed in a transfer request at Leicester, whom he joined from Le Havre in January 2014.

After remaining with the club beyond the summer, he again expressed his desire to leave in January -- only for Leicester to make it clear that they would not sell him to City for less than £95 million.

City, meanwhile, were only willing to go as high as £65m to secure Mahrez's release from Leicester.

"Mahrez currently deserves better than Leicester," Madjer told Goal. "But we must not forget that it was Leicester who put him on the right track.

"I think a serious conversation with his board is needed. He wants to go to a bigger club in the English league. I do not know what really happened about his transfer."

Mahrez, who was integral to Leicester's Premier League title-winning campaign in 2015-16, has scored eight goals in 24 league appearances this season.

But he has protested the club's inability to grant his request, having not returned to training over the past week and missing the 1-1 draw against Swansea City on Feb. 3.

Coincidentally, Leicester face Manchester City on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium, and manager Claude Puel has dropped him from the squad for that game as well.

"Me, I advise him to resume training and work hard, even if the transfer has not been resolved," Madjer said.

"And we must not forget that there are the games of the national team [that will come soon] and a preparation. May he come back to us in great shape. I hope that later the doors will be opened by a bigger club."

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