Will he stay, or will he go?
It’s a decision 29 year-old Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy never thought he would have to make; let alone have the opportunity to.
After spending the early part of 2012 as a player for Fleetwood Town in the National League (formerly the Conference National), many fans of English football around the world knew very little of Jamie Vardy, if anything at all.
Now he is a household name for many sports fans globally, and if here in Australia you didn’t know who he was prior to the 2015/16 Premier League season, there is a good chance that you know now.
What a season it was for Leicester City, adding substance to the idea that fairy tales can happen.
However, that is where the fairy tale ends for the Foxes, unless they can replicate their 2015/16 EPL performance in the Champions League or again in the Premier League beginning later this year.
They now face the harsh reality of trying to keep hold of the stars that made the Barclays Premier League theirs in 2016; and that could prove to be the hardest part, with names such as Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kanté and of course, Jamie Vardy, all attracting interest from rival clubs.
It’s a cruel reality for any club less financially well off than the others surrounding them, good players perform well, and good players get poached; its how English football runs.
Arsenal looms as the suitor for Vardy if he is to depart Leicester, with the Gunners triggering the release clause of £20 million on his current contract at Leicester.
Vardy is mulling over the decision and has departed England en route to France for the 2016 European Championships with the rest of the England squad.
Leicester and Arsenal fans alike, along with the whole football world, wait eagerly for an announcement on his situation.
Arsenal are tabling an offer of £120,000 a week to Vardy in comparison to the £80,000 a week he is currently receiving at Leicester; which reads good on paper if you’re a supporter of the Vardy to Arsenal transfer.
It’s not that cut and dry however, Arsenal are one of the most high-profile football clubs in England and the level of scrutiny placed on players certainly adds another dimension to the decision Vardy has to make, and whether or not he wants to be involved in a more fishbowl like environment.
With negotiations between Vardy, Leicester and Arsenal finished. It is now solely up to the England Striker to choose for whom he will be playing his football for in the Premier League this year.
Many Arsenal fans will be hoping that Vardy lines up in their colours at The Emirates Stadium this year; however, many would agree that it would be pleasing to see Vardy continue to call the King Power Stadium his home this year.
Everyone, with perhaps the exception of Tottenham fans, loves a fairy tale, and it would be a shame to see one of the key pieces of the Leicester City story move on so quick after completing football’s best underdog story.
according to me 