The 2014/15 "Great Escape" led by Nigel Pearson is often sidelined, almost forgotten, beneath the towering legacy of Leicester City's 2015/16 Premier League title triumph. Yet it stands as one of the East Midlands organisation's most stunning and monumental achievements, ranking only just behind Claudio Ranieri’s historic champions.
Having sat bottom of the table with nine games remaining, Pearson's troops clawed their way to safety with seven wins from their final nine matches, a feat of resilience that laid the very foundation for the fairytale that followed. Jamie Vardy, the striker who led that charge, would go on to etch his name into Leicester folklore over 13 remarkable years, scoring exactly 200 goals in 500 appearances and becoming LCFC's all-time leading Premier League marksman.
"The G.O.A.T." did that while lifting the EPL trophy, the FA Cup, the Community Shield and two Championship titles in 2014 and 2024. He famously scored in 11 consecutive top flight matches and earned the Player of the Season and a Golden Boot - cementing himself as one of the most extraordinary figures in the club's history.
Rumours swelled in Vardy final months at King Power Stadium that contract negotiations had stalled, with many pointing to the influence of the chief football officer Jon Rudkin as a key factor in the impasse. That is a dynamic that is also frequently cited as the reason the cult hero has not since returned to Leicester.
Leiceste City legend leaves Italy and what's next
The 39-year-old's next move took him to Italy with Cremonese, but the spell proved challenging in spite of an acceptable goalscoring return. Vardy admitted struggling to adapt, as well as suggesting moving six children was incredibly tough and that he felt guilty uprooting their lives before moving them back to the UK.
"Vardy: Playing in Italy ‘was a struggle, moving abroad is really, really tough’"OneFootball
Additionally, the legened always seems to wait until the final moment before committing to his next chapter, holding out for the perfect role or the most lucrative deal. Indeed, that familiar pattern appears to be playing out once again as he remains a free agent weighing up his options.
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