The weirdest transfer rumor of the summer could well come true. Jamie Vardy, whose rise up the English football leagues is as incredible as any of those Game of Thrones references, is set to sign for Arsenal. Yes, the Arsenal from the Premier League.
Rumors are rife that Arsene Wenger is willing to foot the £20 million bill to sign the Foxes’ star, but this deal has had a lot of people scratching their heads. Why would Arsene go for someone who is about to hit 30? That is the most asked query but in all, this deal does make some sense.
We have seen time and again that some deals are no brainers, while some are a little hard to digest, bringing Vardy does have a few negatives but there are a few positives as well.
Cons of signing Vardy-
His age
As stated earlier, Arsene Wenger hasn’t really had a history when he went out and bought an old player to fix a problem in his team. Petr Cech is an anomaly as goalkeepers can play up to their late 30s and they are still considered to be in the prime of their life.
Jamie Vardy, for all his ability, isn’t the youngest player in the Premier League and with very little time on his side, he needs to adapt to Arsenal or vice versa. The Leicester City striker might consider this move to be his last big one, but Arsenal have really taken a gamble here.
The transfer fee
We all know that teams would like to keep hold of their assets for as long as possible and transfer clauses are there for just that reason but paying £20 million for a 29-year-old with just one great season under him doesn’t really make sense.
For that money, Arsene could have signed a couple of quality youngsters, who he could mould into better players. Vardy at the moment is one dimensional and paying that amount for him isn’t the smartest piece of business done by Wenger. Leicester did the smart thing by protecting their asset but Arsenal could actually have bargained and got a better deal.
Pros of signing Vardy-
His playing style
Even though he is nearing 30, Vardy does seem to have an incredible engine in him. He never gives up and is always a willing runner. That kind of forward has been missing at Arsenal for a while and Vardy also has great finishing ability.
Not to forget, his speed is something that will really hurt other defences and if he links up well with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi, the Gunners would have a formidable forward line with unbelievable pace.
A great option for the Gunners
As stated, Arsenal do not have someone as a forward who is a willing runner with pace. Whether Arsene Wenger plays Vardy from the get go or keeps him on the bench, it will ensure that Arsenal have a proper plan B and not relying on bits and pieces to get things done.
We can say goodbye to days of watching Theo Walcott struggling as a striker and we can also forget about seeing Danny Welbeck anytime soon, due to his unfortunate injury. Arsenal do seem to have gotten a good player who would be looking to continue his incredible form from last season and with the Euros coming up, who knows what Vardy can cook up at the Emirates.