Potential Jamie Vardy to Sheffield Wednesday move might have just got simpler
Jamie Vardy is a boyhood Wednesdayite
If Sheffield Wednesday are to secure a major coup in Jamie Vardy, then any move for the boyhood Owls fan might have just become a bit simpler.
The 39-year-old was in Wednesday’s academy as a youngster before being released at 16. From there he incredibly climbed from non-league to the Premier League, remarkably winning the top-flight with Leicester City 10 years ago and the FA Cup in 2021.
The prolific striker, regarded as Leicester’s greatest player, left the Foxes last summer after they were relegated from the Premier League. He then joined newly-promoted Serie A side Cremonese on a one-year deal with an option to extend for another 12 months if they survived relegation.
Despite recording a respectable seven goals and three assists in 29 appearances, Vardy was relegated with Cremonese on Sunday, the final day of the season after a 4-1 home defeat to Como, managed by Cesc Fabregas. Cremonese had three players sent off during the match.
With relegation now confirmed, it should mean that Vardy is set to become a free agent this summer. As reported by The Wednesday Word, Vardy is one of many names to have been discussed internally. Though as reported, it has been stressed to The Star that these are very early days and any likelihood of formal talks is not yet known.
In a new Netflix documentary, Vardy spoke fondly about going to Wednesday matches as a kid and there were no suggestions the former England international is ready to retire. A move to his boyhood Wednesday would have a certain romance about it and be seen as a full circle moment. However, it remains to be seen whether Vardy would seriously consider any deal, especially with Wednesday in League One, and with Vardy unlikely to be short of offers.
It would also be intriguing to see how any potential move would work financially. Wednesday are subject to some restrictions for the next year or two after just coming out of administration but new Owls CEO, David Bruce, said they are not ‘worried.’
He explained: “We will have some restrictions that will sit over the club, certainly for the next year, maybe two. But the most important thing is that we don’t have that restriction on wages so we can go out there and sign players again. We’re not worried about it. We think we’ve got enough to be really competitive and to put a team on the pitch that hopefully you all are very proud of. “