NafisaLeicester City forward Jamie Vardy has cautioned the teams ascending to the Premier League about the obstacles they will encounter next season.
After earning promotion as champions last term, the Foxes are returning to the second tier following a challenging campaign.
Ipswich Town and Southampton have also been confirmed as relegated, marking the second consecutive year where all three promoted teams failed to stay up.
This year’s Championship victors, Leeds United – led by Daniel Farke – along with second-placed Burnley and the team that emerges from the play-offs, will aim to reverse that trend in 2025/26. However, Vardy has warned that avoiding relegation in the first season is increasingly arduous.
“It’s tough. It’s been really tough,” the 38-year-old said of City’s season when speaking to Gary Lineker on Match of the Day.
“It’s not like we’ve not been trying or not given our all, it’s just it’s not clicked.
“It’s been one of those seasons. If I’m honest, I would probably say the gap from getting promoted into the Prem now is probably as big as what it ever has been, so it’s even more difficult.”
Vardy notched his 199th goal for the club on Saturday, ending a 12-game winless streak across all competitions with a 2-0 victory over the Saints at home. He has three matches left to reach the 200-goal milestone before departing at the end of his contract after a 13-year tenure.
“It’s been everything. It’s been mine and my family’s life for 13 years,” Vardy said of his time at the King Power Stadium.
“We’ve been taken in by the fans and the whole city, and it’s meant every single thing to me personally. Hopefully, with those numbers you mentioned, that’s me repaying them.
“Who wouldn’t miss it? When it’s been your life for that long and you see the camaraderie with the fans and my teammates throughout the whole of those 13 years, it’s been unbelievable.”
Vardy’s opening goal ended City’s 146-day spell without scoring at home. Jordan Ayew also contributed to the scoreline to secure the three points.
“The main thing is breaking a cycle – not scoring at home for a while. We knew we needed to get that done, especially with the situation we’re in,” Vardy said.
“Hopefully we can improve on that now for the last few games and take that momentum into next season. I think that’s all we can do.”
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