As Jamie Vardy prepares to leave Leicester City at the end of the season, speculation has quickly linked the veteran striker with a possible reunion with Brendan Rodgers at Celtic.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Leicester City v Manchester United – King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain – October 16, 2021 Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers celebrates after the match with Jamie Vardy Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine
However, former Manchester City and Leicester forward Paul Dickov believes a move to Scotland might not be the right fit.
The 38-year-old Vardy, who famously helped Leicester to their miraculous Premier League title in 2016, has long been admired by Rodgers, under whom he enjoyed some of his most prolific spells. That past connection has inevitably led to Celtic’s name being floated among potential suitors.
Speaking on the rumoured link, Dickov said to 10bet: “To go to Scotland, I don’t know. Maybe the obvious… The link-up is with Brendan at Celtic after his time at Leicester with Jamie. I still think he’s got a lot to offer. You still see him even now as a 38-year-old veteran. He’s still playing off the shoulders of centre-halves in the Premier League. He’s still buzzing around, closing people down, scoring goals. So I still think he’s got a lot to offer down here, whether that be in the Premier League or top-level Championship, or Wrexham who are promoted to the Championship now and have been linked.
“You look at him, he looks fit as a fiddle. He probably could go on and play for another two seasons at the top level as well. So I’m sure whatever he does, it’s a big blow for him to leave Leicester. He’s up there, not just as a Leicester legend, but a Premier League legend from what he’s done, where he came from, the goals he scored. So I’m pretty sure there’ll be a lot of top clubs still in for Jamie Vardy because he’s still got a hell of a lot to offer on the pitch and off the pitch well.”
While the idea of Vardy linking up with Rodgers at Celtic holds sentimental appeal, Dickov’s comments reflect a feeling that the striker might prefer to remain in England, where his legacy was built and where opportunities in the Championship or even at a Premier League club could still be on the table.
Vardy’s next move will undoubtedly be one of the stories to watch this summer, and while Celtic will be in the market for a forward, it’s unlikely that a move will be made for the player.
Celtic look to be focusing on the wings, with Jota out with a long-term injury.
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