NafisaJamie Vardy has been urged to reject approaches from clubs like Celtic and Rangers in favour of prolonging his Premier League journey into his 40s.
The Leicester City icon revealed earlier this month that he will be leaving the club once his current deal expires this summer, concluding nearly 13 years of service.
Since the announcement, there’s been widespread speculation about where the 38-year-old hero of Leicester’s historic Premier League win could land, with links to Celtic, Rangers, MLS sides, and newly promoted Championship outfit Wrexham.
However, the “fit as a fiddle” Vardy has been encouraged not to walk away from top-flight English football too soon, with a former Leicester City striker arguing he still brings value to clubs at the highest level.
Ex-Scotland international Paul Dickov, who played 110 times for the Foxes over two separate spells, told gaming platform 10Bet: “Go to Scotland? I don’t know. The obvious link-up is with Brendan (Rodgers) at Celtic after his time as manager at Leicester with Jamie.
“But I still think he’s got a lot to offer. You still see him even now, as a 38-year-old veteran, 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.”
Dickov, who retired at 38, notched 34 goals in total for Leicester. His most fruitful spell came between 2002 and 2004, following his transfer from Manchester City, scoring 32 goals. He later returned between 2008 and 2010, making 21 more appearances including a loan stint at Derby County.
Looking at Vardy’s potential paths, he added: “He looks fit as a fiddle. He probably could go on and play for another two seasons at the top level as well.
“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.
“I’m pretty sure there’ll be a lot of top clubs still in for Jamie because he’s still got a hell of a lot to offer on the pitch and off the pitch well.”
It was Ibrox hero Paul Gascoigne who suggested Rangers might be keen on Vardy last week, stating the striker would score with ease in the SPL.
Asked whether he believed Vardy could join Rangers, Gascoigne told casinobeats.com: “Possibly. Rangers are a tough team to play for. They expect you to be winning every game.
“But I’m sure he’d score some goals up there. Easy, no problem. Especially because he’s still got that pace.”
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