Jamie Vardy has signed a new one-year contract with Leicester City.
The Athletic reported in April that Leicester were expected to hold talks with Vardy, 37, over extending his stay at the King Power Stadium if and when they secured promotion back to the Premier League.
Leicester were confirmed as Championship champions in early May but the situation — with Vardy’s previous deal expiring at the end of this month — was complicated by the club being placed under a registration embargo by the EFL for a projected breach of profit and sustainability rules. Leicester, though, officially became a Premier League club again at the league’s annual general meeting, which happened on Thursday.
“To get the numbers that I did (last season), I’m delighted with it, but there’s still more to come,” Vardy said. “I look after myself. I’ve always said that age is just a number. My legs feel fine so that’s why I carry on until my legs say ‘that’s it, game over’. There will be a day when that comes, but that’s not right now.
“We look forward to another season in the Premier League and seeing what we can do. One hundred per cent, it’s the best league in the world. That’s where you want to be playing your football.”
Vardy scored 20 goals in 37 appearances for Leicester last season, with his 18 Championship strikes coming across 18 starts and 17 substitute appearances.
Vardy has 190 goals in 464 appearances — putting him fourth on the club’s all-time list — since joining Leicester from Fleetwood in 2012, winning 26 England caps between 2015 and 2018.
‘Where there is Vardy, there is hope’
Analysis by Ed Mackey
A timely boost for Leicester and the club’s supporters at a time when good news has been at a premium. They regained their status as a Premier League club yesterday but did so facing a points deduction, without a manager — following Enzo Maresca’s departure to Chelsea — and with the risk of further PSR worries hanging over their heads.
Fortunately, where there is Vardy, there is hope for Leicester. The Englishman might not possess his pace of yesteryear but he remains a threat in the penalty area, returning to the top flight after scoring 18 league goals in his side’s Championship-winning season.
Only 14 players have scored more than the 136 goals Vardy has managed in the Premier League and, with 102 of those coming after he turned 30, the former England international will fancy his chances to add a few more. The capacity to start every game may well be beyond him, but his Championship success showed there is plenty of life in the old dog yet.
(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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