Not sunk in yet, says boss Aiyawatt

The Leicester boss, who was in the stands at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge Stadium on Monday, insisted emotions hadn’t overflowed despite his club achieving a success of monumental proportions.
“I haven’t reached that point yet. It was more like a memorable scene. Fans didn’t leave the stadium they stayed in the stands, singing.
“I also received pictures from back home in Thailand of how the fans were reacting. It was a phenomenon that all sports fans were eager to see – that a small team with small budget was about to succeed. We have been working for a long time and success has come at last. I’m happy,” Aiyawatt said.
Aiyawatt said that despite missing out on the chance to clinch the title on Sunday when the Foxes could only manage a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, he felt it was only a matter of time before his side got their hands on the trophy.
“I was well aware that Thai fans, fans in Leicester and at Old Trafford, and Thai supporters gathering at King Power in Bangkok were all looking forward to us becoming the champions on that day.

‘We will not sell players’
“We tried our best; all the players tried hard and we have to give credit to all staff members and players for their efforts. We wanted to turn everyone’s dream into reality on that day [Sunday], but we ended up with just a draw.
“I have to say that all the support from fans in Thailand has reached every Leicester player. I’m the person who keeps telling them and showing them pictures of how much fans in Thailand support them.”
He stressed the Foxes would try to avoid the fate other “modest” clubs usually suffer after achieving major success by trying to keep hold of key players such as England international striker Jamie Vardy and live-wire winger Riyad Mahrez, who have been integral to the team’s stunning success.
“We are not selling anyone. We are not a team who produce players to be developed later by other teams. We focused on building the foundation of the team, players growing up together, and today we are Premier League champions together.
“We are playing in the Champions League next season. If you ask me at this moment, all players want to stay and keep on fighting together to see how far they can go. So selling players is not on our agenda. We just want to fill in what we are missing. Anything to make the team improve, we are going to do it, for sure.
“We plan on buying players six months in advance, and have contacted some already.”
Aiyawatt also confirmed he would bring the team to Thailand on a celebration trip as part of the reward for exploits that have captivated fans across the world.
“After winning the title, we plan to bring them to Thailand. We want them to thank fans in Thailand and to sign messages of well-wishes for His Majesty the King.
“I want to bring them to visit important places in Thailand to let them see what Thailand is like and what we have done so far. This is to thank the Thai fans for all their support. I highly appreciate their backing. The players are coming to Thailand very very soon.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha joined the chorus of praise yet could not resist the opportunity to take a dig at Thaksin Shinawatra, who became the first Thai to buy an English football club with his acquisition of Manchester City in 2007.  “We’ve seen progress from a team that previously had little success. It showed their endeavour to become successful. It’s better than buying a successful team and then selling it,” Prayut said in apparent reference to Thaksin’s ill-fated City tenure.