Leicester City ‘have to offload’ Jamie Vardy in ‘massive blow’ as Everton chase transfer – BBC pundit
Leicester likely “have to offload” Jamie Vardy’s salary after relegation with Everton chasing the striker on a free transfer, says Carlton Palmer.
Football Transfers reported on 12 July that the ex-England international striker was on the shortlist for Sean Dyche at Goodison Park as he looks to address his attacking issues.
The Foxes are apparently prepared to let the scorer of 136 Premier League goals go with his contract set to expire next summer, and Palmer doesn’t think they will have a choice but to shed him from the wage bill, which could play into the Toffees’ hands.
The BBC pundit told Football League World: “Everton are chasing Jamie Vardy, it would be a massive blow for Leicester to lose him as he’s been their talisman and their number nine. He’s been outstanding for them for so many seasons.
“I think dropping down to the Championship, he could score 20 goals next year for them, which would go a long way to helping them get promotion.
“I would think that Leicester would have to offload him due to his salary. I’m sure they don’t want to pay that salary in the Championship.
“I’m not sure week-in, week-out that Vardy could have the same impact in the Premier League. Last season, he featured in 37 games, he only scored three goals. The previous season he scored 15 goals in 25 appearances.
“I think, at 36, we’re probably starting to see the decline in him, so probably he would be a good impact player to have, but you also have to factor in that Leicester were poor last season, so that will have affected him as well. So we’ll have to see.
“I mean, if they’re able to get him out of Leicester, Everton on a free, we’ve seen they’ve gone for Ashley Young, we know that Everton haven’t got huge resources so this is what Sean Dyche has got to do to establish Everton and not see them in the position that they’re in for the last two seasons, just staving off relegation on the last day of the season.”
Past it?
Five or even two years ago this would be a very exciting prospect for Everton fans, but as Palmer suggests Vardy appears to be on the decline.
There is an argument to suggest that the current Toffees team under Dyche is superior to the Leicester side the 36-year-old struggled to score in last season, based on the fact that one was relegated and the other wasn’t if nothing else.
And unfortunately for Everton beggars can’t be choosers this summer, as it is more than a month now since the transfer window opened and the illusive striker signing has still not arrived.
Vardy at low or no cost plus another wouldn’t be a bad idea, but it is unlikely that the veteran could carry a Premier League campaign on his own if Dominic Calvert-Lewin is injured next term.
However, past his best he may be but if Dyche could pick up the Leicester striker he would be adding arguably the most proven goalscorer at Everton since Wayne Rooney left for the second time.
Everton struck out in attempting to bring in a front man from one relegated side in ex-Leeds United man Rodrigo, but perhaps the relevant factors are playing into their hands with his Leicester counterpart.
He likely isn’t capable of being the saviour at Goodison Park these days, but currently he would be better than nothing.
In other Everton news, “problems” are forcing Dyche to sell off the “lifeblood” of the club according to one pundit in reaction to an alarming homegrown exodus.