Former Leicester City title-winner Christian Fuchs is now the head coach of League Two strugglers Newport County and made an audacious attempt to get Jamie Vardy to join him
Leicester players celebrate with the FA Cup
Christian Fuchs and Jamie Vardy won the Premier League title and the FA Cup together at Leicester City
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Christian Fuchs has revealed he rang up Jamie Vardy to see if his former Leicester City team-mate would help him out at League Two strugglers Newport County after taking the head coach job at Rodney Parade.
Fuchs, who along with Vardy was part of the Premier League title-winning team at Leicester, was offered his first senior manager's role back in November by Newport, who are currently second from bottom in League Two and at risk of dropping out of the EFL.
Newport are among the lowest scorers in the fourth tier as they battle for their league status - and Fuchs admits he rang up Vardy, currently playing in Italy, to see if he would help him out, even though he knew the former England star would say no.
“I like a challenge but this, for my first job, is probably the toughest of them all,” the Austrian told The Mail. “(First) I asked Jamie if he wants to pack his bags. Of course I did, even though I knew what the answer would be!”
While Vardy has been enjoying life in Italy with Cremonese, scoring five times in 19 appearances, Fuchs has been trying to keep Newport afloat.
The Exiles are three points adrift of safety but, crucially, still within touching distance of a host of teams who will be anxiously looking over their shoulder in the final third of the 2025/26 campaign.
Christian Fuchs looks on during a Newport County game
Fuchs is now the head coach of League Two strugglers Newport County(Image: MI News/NurPhoto)
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Fuchs worked under some top managers during his own playing career including Claudio Ranieri - who guided Leicester to the title back in 2015 - Dean Smith and Thomas Tuchel. But while he has taken influence from those figures, he is determined to be his own man when it comes to life as a head coach.
He said: “You take bits and pieces – good things and bad things – but then you adapt it to how you feel is the right way. I don’t want to be a Tuchel, I don’t want to be a Dean Smith, but all of them did something that I appreciated as a player.
CREMONA, ITALY - OCTOBER 25: Jamie Vardy of Cremonese gestures during the Serie A match between US Cremonese and Atalanta BC at Stadio Giovanni Zini on October 25, 2025 in Cremona, Italy. (Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)
Vardy moved to Italy to join Cremonese in the summer(Image: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)
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“Everyone has to find their own way. It’s more about off the pitch and how you want to be as a person. The bottom line is always how to deal with people.
“I have phone numbers. I was just on two phone calls this morning to ask for advice. You should not be shy to pick up the phone.”
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