Gary Lineker claims Arsenal poached the wrong scout from Leicester

Former Leicester scout Ben Wrigglesworth confirmed this week that he is joining Arsenal, after three years at Leicester. Current Foxes assistant manager Steve Walsh has also been linked with a move to the Emirates in recent times, but has yet to depart - and Lineker thinks Arsene Wenger's side have lured the wrong man from the King Power Stadium.

The boyhood Leicester fan believes Walsh is the one who deserves most of the credit for Leicester's successful recent recruitment, which includes the £1 million signing of Jamie Vardy, £500,000 acquisition of Riyad Mahrez and free transfer of full-back Christian Fuchs.

"I love how Arsenal nicked the wrong scout," Lineker said, speaking at a BT Sport event. “Steve Walsh is the guy who found these players and bought them in.

"I know when he found Mahrez he was sent to watch someone else and came back with Mahrez. He’s done a brilliant job and that’s been the large key to Leicester’s success.

"As in all clubs, it’s about the people you bring in and they’ve done it on a relatively small budget compared with the giants.”

The former England striker was also full of praise for one of those bargain signings, Vardy, suggesting that the forward can continue to improve even as reaches his thirties.

“I was about pace and I didn’t peak until I was mid to late 20s, so I can relate to that,” Lineker said. “I wasn’t a regular in Leicester team until I was 21 or 22. I didn’t break into the England squad until I was 24 or 25. He is a little bit later than that but he’s just kept improving and that is the key.

“He thinks about his game a lot, he works really hard and he has exhilarating pace. He has good touch as well. His finishing has improved a lot, which was the one part of his game a couple of years ago you’d have said was his weakness but he has improved a lot and has finished consistently this season.”

Lineker also insisted there has been nothing lucky about Leicester's rise.

“I have watched it very closely, they have done it because they have good players,” said Lineker. “They have a wonderful spirit and a great dynamism and pace on the counterattack.

"The fact that so many players have found form at the same time, while so many of the big clubs have been inconsistent, all things considered. But it’s not a fluke because it has been almost a year.”