GRAY TO CASH IN
Foxes flier will stay and play for Puel
DEMARAI GRAY is ready to sign a new £50,000-a-week deal at Leicester.
New boss Claude Puel only has to convince the winger that he’s a big part of his plans to clinch the £10m four-year deal.
Gray got off to a flier under Puel after helping the Frenchman to win his first game in charge.
And after Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Everton, Gray is confident that contract talks will soon be concluded.
Happy
He said: “Everyone is communicating, so I think it eventually should be sorted.
“We obviously wanted to see who the new manager was, and a bit of stability, but I’m happy playing football here.”
The England Under-21 star had been frustrated by the lack of game time under previous Foxes bosses Claudio Ranieri and Craig Shakespeare.
But his bargaining strength has been helped by Bournemouth’s £25m bid to ® land him in the summer, with a number of other clubs also watching developments closely.
Gray, 21, believes life under ex-Southampton boss Puel, renowned for bringing youngsters through, could be productive.
He added: “Yeah, it’s good. We have a good team and a lot of depth. It’s good for me and players like Ben Chilwell when there’s faith in the younger players.
“It’s good to have that type of manager behind us. I’m feeling good. I’m always prepared. I’ve always said I’m ready to play. I’ve waited a long time.
“Hopefully this can be the start of a run of games for me. It’s what I need, to get some confidence and momentum myself and, most importantly, develop as a player.
“As long as I’m working hard, I’m sure I can get that under the boss. He didn’t say too much to me beforehand.
“He just told me to do what I do best. He praised me for my work and my football and that’s good for my confidence.”