How Many Seasons Does Vardy Have Left at Leicester?
Jamie Vardy is like the football playing version of a fine Bordeaux or a ripe Stilton – he seems to only get better with age. However, even these delicacies reach a point when they are past their
There are occasions when we here at ReadyBetGo want to bring you interesting facts about the gambling industry When something catches our eye, we will publish it for your enjoyment. best and, unfortunately, the same thing is likely to happen to the Leicester City striker. The question is, at 33 years old, how many seasons does the sharpshooter have left in him?
Vardy has been the poster boy of the Foxes success over the last five years. In 2013-14, his second season with the club, the Sheffield-born goal getter fired his side into the Premier League with an impressive 16 goals. He was then instrumental in Nigel Pearson’s side’s great escape in the 2014-15 campaign when they managed to end the season in 14th place after looking certain to face the drop.
Vardy carried that sensational form into the 2015-16 season and was the key component in Leicester’s unprecedented title win under Claudio Ranieri. He managed to notch 24 goals in the league that term and finished joint second in the scoring charts alongside Sergio Aguero. He was only one goal shy of the Golden Boot winner, Harry Kane.
Vardy has been a godsend for the King Power Stadium club, and he has proved incredible value for money after his £1 million transfer from Fleetwood Town. But for a player who relies heavily on his blistering pace and ability to rapidly slip through cracks in the defence, it is hard to say how long he will be able to maintain his high levels for Brendan Rodgers’s side. The Northern Irishman will surely be getting worried about how to replace the prolific hitman.
When Vardy does depart from Leicester, it will pose a few questions for bettors as well. Vardy’s red-hot form in the 2019-20 season has helped the Foxes challenge for a Champions League place, and there was a flurry of betting on Rodgers’s side in the lead up to the Christmas break when they were getting into their stride. At that time these bets looked fruitful for those with the foresight to stake on them, but now the betting odds for Leicester are 2/6 to finish in the top four.
There is a lot of uncertainty over who will replace Vardy when he eventually decides to hang up his boots. Will Kelechi Iheanacho be able to step up and score the goals? The Nigerian has yet to prove himself as a world-class talent and, if Leicester don’t get a striker of Vardy’s mould, Rodgers may have to overhaul his tactics completely.
After joining the professional leagues late in his career, Vardy is likely to want to prolong his playing days for as many seasons as possible. But the sad fact is that in the next few years he may lose a lot of his pace. And that is one of the main aspects of his game which makes him so dangerous for defenders. When the time eventually comes for Vardy to retire, Rodgers will have some big decisions to make up front.