With the start of the Championship season less than two months away, questions still loom over the look of Leicester City’s future. Currently a squad assembled on big wages for Europe, the team faces a summer of wage cuts and departures as they prepare for life in the second division.
Already the club has seen seven first-team players leave for free, whilst Jonny Evans’ future remains undecided. Meanwhile, speculation has already began over the likes of James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, and Timothy Castagne – all three are high earners who can generate sizeable transfer fees.
One player who may cause some issue for the Foxes though is club-legend Jamie Vardy. The striker, now 36, is the highest earner for the club with a contract worth between £140,000 and £160,000-a-week. Having suffered relegation, he faces his wages being slashed in half to around £70,000-a-week.
Whilst this would save a sizeable amount for the club, it is still an astronomical wage for the Championship. To put into context, last season’s highest earner in the second division was Watford’s Ismaila Sarr who reportedly secured £63,000-a-week. It means, even if the No.9’s contract is halved, he’d still be the highest earner in the entire division.
The issue that the board, as well as incoming manager Enzo Maresca, will face is if it’s worth keeping Vardy around. If he is sold, he won’t generate a large fee. With only one year left on his current deal, and having endured his worst league campaign in a Leicester shirt, it is unlikely that he’d generate a fee above £10million.
With Vardy’s future up in the air, it has left many fans asking the Leicester City experts for their insight. Jordan Blackwell, LeicestershireLives’ chief LCFC writer recently held a Q&A where he addressed the Vardy situation:
"It is up in the air, I will say that, but if I had to go one way or the other, I would say that he will stay. I can’t see him playing for any other club in England. I don’t see any other side wanting to pay him what he’s on at City, nor do I see him wanting to play for another club."
On the status of his wages, Blackwell added:
"I don’t know about his contract, I’m afraid. But even if there’s a reduction, he would still be one of the club’s best-paid players, and that does leave City in a predicament. Their best earners need to be their best players. With the way Vardy’s form has dipped, can he be relied upon to score goals regularly in the Championship? I honestly don’t know."
Though Blackwell did end on a positive note though, commenting that:
"[T]here were signs of life under Smith that makes me think he could grab 10 or 15 goals this coming season."
FoL’s Leicester City opinion
A lot depends on what Maresca wants in his dressing room, but it feels as if Leicester City could really do with Vardy behind the scenes – as well as on the pitch. With club-captain Jonny Evans out of contract, the Foxes will be looking at who can take over from the Northern Irishman.
Of all the players still at the club – and realistically staying – Vardy would be one of the favourites to take charge. Having played 427 games for LCFC, he has quite literally seen it all since his arrival in 2012. He does already carry Championship experience having played in both the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons with City, including winning the division and securing promotion in the latter season.
Another candidate to take over the armband would be fellow title-winner Marc Albrighton, with Vardy serving as vice-captain. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been touted as future captain of the club, though it feels a bit too soon for him considering his slight regression last year.
Whilst he suffered a poor season by his standards, Blackwell’s comment of how Vardy ended this season does ring true. The former England attacker looked back to his old ways under Dean Smith and did all he could to save the Foxes. If he has his mojo back, Vardy would be a dangerous asset in the Championship, as well as a continued mentor for the academy players who will no doubt feature next season.
His wages will be costly, but if he could play his part in securing promotion, it’s a financial gamble worth risking. With his contract set to expire in 2024, lifting his side back into the Premier League would be the perfect finale for Leicester City’s most iconic player of all time, and the goodbye he deserves.