Jamie Vardy explains Arsenal transfer snub amid Leicester City contract release clause
Jamie Vardy’s loyalty to Leicester City was the reason behind his decision to snub Arsenal 10 years ago and the striker has revealed how the transfer talks played out
Jamie Vardy has revealed that he rejected the chance to join Arsenal from Leicester City in 2016 because of “loyalty” and feeling at home with the then-Premier League champions.
Vardy was one of the Gunners’ main transfer targets 10 years ago after firing the Foxes to the title. The striker netted 24 Premier League goals, including a run of scoring in 11 consecutive matches, to help produce one of the game’s biggest achievements.
Following weeks of speculation during the European Championships in France, Vardy snubbed a move to the Emirates Stadium and signed a new contract with City. He went on to play in LE2 for a further nine years before leaving in 2025.
Vardy has previously briefly discussed the possible move to Arsenal but in his new podcast, ‘Jamie Vardy’s Having A Party’, the 39-year-old explained how the talks played out. It was also revealed that his contract with Leicester included a minimum release clause.
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“He [Arsene Wenger] jumped the gun,” he said. “I was just trying to prepare for going to the Euros [and I] got a phone call from my agent saying ‘Arsenal are interested in signing you, I’ve told them to wait.’
“I did have a minimum release clause in my contract, but I’ve told them I’m going to the Euros, I’m focusing on England and to just wait until it’s finished. Then literally two days later, they launched the bid and Leicester obviously couldn’t reject it. So I was like ‘******* hell!’
“I had two days off and my two days off involved going to see Arsene at his house. [He] explains the clubs, says what he thinks you can do, how good it would be for the players behind me and my runs. Everything they were saying [about] selling the club. That’s what they’re there to do.
“Straight back to the grove, jumping on the plane and you’ve got Jack Wilshere like, ‘Oh, you signing for us?’ And I was like ‘******* hell, give me a yard’. And then three days later, I rang Becks (wife) up and said I’m not going.”
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Asked what made him decide on staying at Leicester, he added: “Loyalty. I’d been given my chance at Leicester and we’d just won things. I legitimately thought, the way we were playing, we could go on to win more.
“If I’m honest, just having that place to stay. We all know in football that you can be at one club for one year, then another for two and then another for six months. Football is constantly moving so having that foundation of a home played a massive impact.
“I came to the decision, got the Euros out of the way, came back and then signed a new deal at Leicester and got that minimum release clause wiped out. I don’t think they’ve had one since.”
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