The sombre atmosphere at the King Power Stadium on Easter Sunday told the story of a club in free fall. Leicester City’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool confirmed their second relegation in three seasons, adding another painful chapter to what the Premier League’s greatest fairytale had once been. It was deemed inevitable when assessing the football odds, but even the best pre-match insights would have imagined the Foxes would fight a bit harder than what they did against Arne Slot’s side.
In the aftermath, the future of Leicester’s talismanic striker Jamie Vardy has come into sharp focus, with the 38-year-old potentially facing the end of his remarkable 13-year association with the club.
Vardy, never one to mince words, took to social media on Monday to express his raw emotions about the season. “At this point, I don’t even know what to say,” he wrote. “No words I have can ever express my feelings of anger and sadness with the way this season has gone.” The striker called the campaign “a total embarrassment” and apologised to fans for the campaign.
His unfiltered comments reflect the turmoil of a club that has fallen precipitously from grace. With manager Ruud van Nistelrooy’s position under scrutiny after collecting just eight points from 20 games and mounting fan protests against director of football Jon Rudkin.
For Vardy, Leicester’s relegation presented the difficult decision to part ways with Leicester. A statement on lcfc.com read: “We can confirm legendary striker Jamie Vardy will leave Leicester City this summer after 13 seasons that have seen him become our greatest-ever player.”
The Sheffield-born talisman has made 496 appearances since joining the Foxes from Fleetwood Town in 2012 and has been a crucial figure in Leicester’s most successful period in the club’s history after promotion to the Premier League in 2014.
The journey from the Bluesquare division to Premier League champion seems almost mythical in retrospect. When Leicester paid just £1 million for Vardy, few could have predicted the impact he would have. It was a path that had seen him work in a carbon fibre factory while playing for Stocksbridge Park Steels just a few years earlier – a far cry from the heights he would reach.
The 2015-16 season cemented Vardy’s legend. His record-breaking run of scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League matches helped propel Leicester to the most unlikely title triumph in English football history. That campaign saw him transform from underdog to superstar, winning the FWA Footballer of the Year award and becoming one of the Premier League’s most feared strikers.
Even in the twilight of his career, Vardy has remained Leicester’s most reliable goal threat, though this season’s tally couldn’t prevent the inevitable drop. The nine consecutive home games without scoring – a top-flight record – speaks to the collective failure that even Vardy’s tenacity couldn’t overcome.
The possibility of Vardy playing elsewhere feels almost unnatural, given how synonymous he has become with Leicester City. Yet at 38, with the club facing at least one season in the Championship and potentially hampered by financial restrictions, now is the best time for the striker might view this as the moment to write one final chapter elsewhere and ride off into the sunset.
Several Premier League clubs could now be tempted by Vardy’s experience, goal-scoring instinct, and the fierce competitiveness that remains undiminished despite his age. His contract situation remains unclear, but relegation often triggers release clauses or renegotiations that could facilitate a move.
Whatever decision Vardy makes this summer, his legacy at Leicester is secure. As the club prepares for life back in the Championship, supporters will hope the last few games are a chance to bid a proper goodbye to their iconic number nine. He helped them reach new heights– heights that, before him, seemed impossible to imagine.
