Shortly after landing former Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka, could Arsenal have scored one of the top transfer window targets in Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy?
Vardy, the main triggerman behind Leicester City’s unlikely EPL crown, the first in the club’s 132-year history, has reportedly been scheduled for a medical, per ESPN FC and team sources by the second-placed Gunners after they triggered his release clause of £20 million ($29,030,000 U.S.) per Stuart James of The Guardian.
With reports also stating that the 29-year-old Foxes striker, currently playing for the English national team in UEFA EURO 2016, the Gunners need to swoop Vardy up before England leaves for France, as his rumored four-year £120,000-a-week move to North London needs to happen–fast.
After landing Oliver Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and Danny Welbeck, it appears that the once-frugal Gunners are finally playing the transfer window game with nothing to lose.
Eternally linked to a long list world-class strikers for what seems to be an eternity, Arsenal has now developed a talented cadre of forwards who are good—but not Robin van Persie-level great.
Could Vardy be the next van Persie at Arsenal in being that elusive talisman that they so desperately need?
Back in the summer of 2013, Arsenal was “close” to a deal with former Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain*, that was first reported by various British outlets, which ultimately turned out to be false with the French-born Argentine leaving Arsenal at the altar to join Napoli SSC. So, with all due respect, until Vardy is signed, sealed and photographed in an Arsenal strip, many Gunners will be wise not to get their hopes up, in not getting burned again.
(Editor’s Note: Due to the general unreliability of British media outlets regarding transfer rumors, INSCMagazine has what is called the ‘Gonzalo Higuain Rule’, that states that unless a player is officially signed with a new team, said rumor is completely false.)
If Vardy does indeed leave the Foxes for Arsenal, what does this mean for Giroud, who has had a couple of up-and-down seasons in North London? What about Welbeck, Sanchez, etc?
If there is ONE thing that Arsenal has lacked since RVP is that guy who can score seemingly at will. In scoring 24 league goals, one behind Golden Boot winner Harry Kane of Tottenham, Vardy be named the Footballer Of The Year by the Football Writers Association and being named the 2016 Barclays Premier League Player of the Season.
One thing that this writer will say is that with Arsenal’s prolific stable of strikers and forwards, with Vardy leading the way, the Gunners may finally reclaim their rightful place atop the EPL.