Jamie Vardy is still going strong at the age of 38, but this season has been an eye-opening one to say the least.
Vardy is Leicester’s top scorer with eight in all competitions this season but hasn’t scored since the Foxes’ 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur on 26 January,
There have been calls for Patson Daka to start ahead of Vardy due to his diabolical form but when a 38-year-old is leading the line in the Premier League, there’s little room for sympathy.
Alas, this season has been evident that Vardy’s better days are behind him and as one of three Leicester players out of contract in the summer, a replacement may be in order at the King Power Stadium.
However, he can still improve and the stats show one area he must be doing better.
Jamie Vardy among the players with most offsides in the Premier League
The art of staying on the shoulder of the last man to beat the offside trap and get away from defenders isn’t as easy as it looks.
As well as raw pace, your timing has to be on point. For Vardy, it was his bread and butter for years. Even if managers would set up deeply in a low block to nullify him, he would find way.
That burst of acceleration has slowly decreased over time and Vardy is finding it harder to rush away from the man these days.
It’s a contributing factor that has him firmly placed in the top three for the number of times a player has been flagged offside this season, according to the Premier League website.
Sharing third spot with Newcastle United’s, and former Leicester City target, Alexander Isak with 17, Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood (21) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (27) of Everton have only been offside more times.
| Player | Club | Number of times offside |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | Everton | 27 |
| Chris Wood | Nottingham Forest | 21 |
| Jamie Vardy | Leicester City | 17 |
| Alexander Isak | Newcastle United | 17 |
| Nicolas Jackson | Chelsea | 15 |
| Mohammed Kudus | West Ham United | 15 |
| Kai Havertz | Arsenal | 14 |
| Jean-Phillippe Mateta | Crystal Palace | 14 |
| Liam Delap | Ipswich Town | 13 |
| Raul Jimenez | Fulham | 13 |
Although it’s a sign that Vardy is getting into the right spaces, it’s telling that these are coming to no avail, as proved by the fact the Foxes’ have failed to score in over 500 minutes of action.
Leicester City already have Jamie Vardy’s replacement, he’s at the club now
When the day does come and Vardy hangs his boots up, he will forever be known as a Leicester City legend and one of, if not, the greatest players of all time to represent the club.
Even if he does sign a new deal and chooses to stay, it’s very unlikely that he will be the first choice.
Strikers are a premium too. Everyone wants a proven goal scorer, right?
They don’t come cheap either, but thankfully, Leicester already have Jake Evans.
Evans is already being labelled the heir to Vardy’s throne due to his goalscoring exploits with the Leicester academy.
Van Nistelrooy has also included Evans in a matchday squad and when not scoring for fun with the U21s, is spotted training with the first-team.
He may be the answer to the long-term striker issue and could save Leicester millions on a replacement.