Jamie Vardy contract update as Enzo Maresca adds cherry to Leicester City title win
Enzo Maresca has a feeling Jamie Vardy is not finished at Leicester City yet with the manager hinting that a new contract could be heading his way.
Maresca watched Vardy score his 19th and 20th goals of the season on Monday night as City beat Preston to clinch the Championship title. With the trophy secure, focus now turns to the futures of the out-of-contract players, with Vardy’s deal up this summer.
Vardy himself has said he has no plans to retire, and it seems his career at the King Power Stadium may extend beyond its current run of 12 years. Maresca has previously expressed doubts over the 37-year-old’s age, but suggested on Monday night that this weekend’s game against Blackburn would not be his last in a City shirt. Certainly, if the decision was up to Maresca, he’d be sticking around.
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The manager said: “It’s all season that you ask about Jamie! Jamie Vardy is Leicester. Jamie Vardy, I didn’t discover him. Jamie Vardy will always score goals in his life.
“He’s going to score goals until he’s 45 because it’s in his blood to score goals. We are very lucky that he’s our player. He’s scored many goals.
“Not yet (we didn’t discuss the contract) because the target was to finish in the right way. We have a game on Saturday and then we’ll sit, but my feeling is that he’s going to stay. This is just my feeling, but if I were to decide…”
With Vardy potentially sticking around, there will be plenty to celebrate on Saturday, when City get to lift the Championship trophy. In that game, City will go for the win that takes them to 100 points, the next milestone after winning the title.
“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Maresca said after first place was secured. “It’s been a tough season. Intense. The Championship is tough, with many games. But we did it.
“It was a fantastic performance. I was happy even when we dropped points against Millwall and Plymouth. It was just a matter of taking chances. But we missed. But the Southampton game, tonight’s game, we completely deserved this target.”