Leicester City’s Gameweek 37 home match against Ipswich Town will be Jamie Vardy’s (£5.3m) final appearance in a Foxes shirt.
We’ve known for a good few weeks now that these were amongst the last times we’d see the veteran striker suit up for the side he took to a Premier League title and FA Cup triumph, after he revealed he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
Thursday’s announcement has come as a surprise to many, however.
That’s because while it was obvious that this was to be Vardy’s last home match for the Foxes, it was expected that he would finish off the campaign with the Gameweek 38 trip to Bournemouth.
What did Leicester City’s announcement say?
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In an announcement on Thursday morning, the Foxes began by saying:
“This Sunday marks a momentous occasion in the history of Leicester City Football Club, as we prepare to say thank you to our greatest-ever player – Jamie Vardy – in his final appearance at King Power Stadium.”
Again, all things we knew and expected so far, with it only right that something would be done to mark his last home match – which also happens to be his 500th appearance for the club.
But then came the notable bit: that this would be Vardy’s “final appearance in Leicester City colours”.
This immediately raised some eyebrows online, given – as mentioned – the previous statements from both club and player indicated he would be moving on at the end of the season. We therefore expected that he would be celebrated at home in this Ipswich match but still given the away day on the south coast to wrap up his Leicester career.
Yet it now looks like Vardy will indeed be absent from the Gameweek 38 match against Bournemouth.
What’s on the line for Vardy in Gameweek 37?
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That means there’s something big – to put it lightly – on the line for Vardy this week.
As things stand heading into Gameweek 37, he’s just one goal shy of a double century in all competitions for Leicester.
Scoring his 200th goal for the Foxes is a significant milestone that would make Sunday’s match against fellow Championship-bound side Ipswich a truly momentous occasion if the 38-year-old can find the back of the net.
Vardy has eight league goals so far in this campaign, the last of which came in Gameweek 35’s win over Southampton. Leicester have struggled massively at both ends of the pitch for large stretches of the 2024-25 season, but this weekend’s fixture against a defensively suspect Ipswich outfit is about as good as he could have hoped for when all he needs is one goal.
What does all this mean for FPL managers?
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This news, of course, means that Vardy, while perhaps an even more appealing option for Gameweek 37 in isolation, is now purely a one-week pick.
That by no means makes him a bad option, particularly given his fixture against the team on the league’s longest clean sheet drought (17 matches).
He and the rest of Leicester’s squad will also no doubt be up for a party at the King Power Stadium to send him off in style.
But FPL managers should consider whether they want to spend one of their final free transfers on a player they know will be of no use to them in the last week of the season.
Possible Gameweek 38 replacements for Vardy
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If you still deem that the upside of a punt on Vardy at home to Ipswich outweighs that downside, or if you’d already brought him in prior to Thursday’s announcement and will need a replacement in Gameweek 38, here are a few options to consider.
BEST BUDGET OPTION
Bournemouth striker Evanilson (£5.8m) has started nine league matches in a row since returning from injury, and has delivered six attacking returns in that time. That respectable output would have earned him consideration in this conversation anyway, but his appeal is also boosted by the fact that it’s the Cherries who host Leicester in Gameweek 38. That will be a dead rubber for the Foxes while Evanilson and co may still have a shot at European football next term by that point.
BEST PRICEY OPTION
If you can stretch your budget up to Ollie Watkins (£9.0m), the Aston Villa striker is another top pick as Unai Emery’s men chase Champions League football. That may be out of the question if they suffer a shock defeat to Spurs this weekend, but a win against the Lilywhites and results elsewhere going their way could mean three points in Gameweek 38 – against a Manchester United side that will surely be mentally and/or physically fatigued from the Europa League final earlier that week – could be enough for Villa to secure a top-five finish.
BEST MID-RANGE OPTIONS
There are similar stakes for Chris Wood (£7.2m). The Nottingham Forest man will have to face Chelsea, who are also battling for the Champions League, in Gameweek 38.
Elsewhere, Brentford’s Yoane Wissa (£6.8m) and Wolves’ Matheus Cunha (£7.1m) face each other in Gameweek 38. The Bees are at home in that one and also have more to play for, with a place in Europe potentially on the line. Cunha does have the advantage of set-piece (including penalty) duties over Wissa.
OTHERS LACKING APPEAL
Those closer to Vardy’s price point, with the exception of Evanilson, either have one or both of nothing left to play for and a tricky fixture. Fulham’s Raúl Jiménez (£5.3m) may tick two of those boxes, being out of European contention and facing Manchester City on the final day. Wolves’ Jørgen Strand Larsen (£5.3m) had been in good form but has been a substitute in the Old Gold’s last two matches due to fitness issues.
Brighton get to face Spurs in Gameweek 38 but the Seagulls have looked a bit meek despite their three-match unbeaten run while Danny Welbeck (£5.5m) and the returning João Pedro (£5.5m) could share both minutes and chances.
Ipswich’s George Hirst (£5.4m), who plays West Ham in Gameweek 38, has similarly been taking some minutes from Liam Delap (£5.6m) over the last few Gameweeks but has only started three matches all season.
And at Everton, Beto (£4.8m) has a great goal-scoring record since David Moyes took over but must travel to St James’ Park to end the season. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.4m) and Armando Broja (£5.3m) are also potentially vying for the starting line-up given that the match will mean relatively little for the Toffees.