Jamie Vardy looks set to return to English football as an unexpected club joins the race to sign him as a free agent.
Jamie Vardy might be making a surprise return to English football, over a month after leaving Italian club Cremonese as a free agent. He left Cremonese at the end of June after scoring seven goals in 29 games. Although the club was relegated from Serie A, Vardy could have helped them stay up.
At 39, Vardy isn’t retiring anytime soon and plans to keep playing for at least one more season. Fans quickly linked him to his boyhood club, Sheffield Wednesday, now in League One after dropping from the Championship. Sheffield Wednesday had a tough 2025/26 season, finishing with zero points due to an 18-point deduction after financial troubles and ownership issues. The club was recently sold to a US group with big plans for the future.
However, Vardy made it clear on his podcast, ‘Jamie Vardy’s Having A Party,’ that he won’t be returning to Sheffield Wednesday. He told co-host Manish Bhasin, “In short, no. Once I left, that chapter closed for me. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
Recently, Vardy was seen having medical tests at Leicester City’s training ground, who are also in League One now. He confirmed he’d be rejoining Leicester, the club he helped to a famous Premier League title in 2016.
But in a twist, Sky Sports News reports that Championship club West Ham is interested in signing him this summer. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo wants to bring in another striker before the transfer window closes. This is a bit surprising since West Ham has also been linked with former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott, who plays for AZ Alkmaar now.
West Ham also still have strikers Pablo and Taty Castellanos, who were signed for around £45 million when the club was in the Premier League. Both played in West Ham’s recent 3-1 win over Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup. Plus, their captain Jarrod Bowen, who recently signed a new contract, is another attacking option.
Before the Carabao Cup game, Nuno told reporters that he and his team have already picked out the players they want this summer but are taking their time to make sure the signings are right. He said, “We don’t have much time, but we don’t want to make mistakes. It’s important we choose the right players, so we’re careful. We know the targets and profiles, now the club needs to do their job.”