'Arsenal offered me huge money to join – but I snubbed them for simple reason'

Jamie Vardy has revealed that Arsenal attempted to sign him from Leicester City after his Premier League triumph with the Foxes. The veteran striker, now 37, has been a stalwart for Leicester since his move from Fleetwood Town in 2012, experiencing both triumphs and challenges during his decade-long stint at the King Power.

His pivotal role in Leicester’s promotion to the top flight in the 2013/14 season, netting 16 goals, was just a prelude to the fairy tale of 2015/16 when the Foxes shocked the footballing world by clinching the Premier League title. After this remarkable feat, Arsenal came calling for Vardy, but he chose loyalty over a switch to the Emirates Stadium.

In an interview with BT Sport, Vardy shared his thought process: “Every time I thought about it, my heart and head were coming to the same answer, which was to stay. That was exactly what I wanted to do so it’s exactly what I did. I had a lot of time while I was sat in a hotel doing nothing, so it was easy to think about it then and easy to put the pen to paper.”

Despite a lucrative £120,000-a-week offer from the Gunners to join Arsene Wenger’s squad, Vardy’s allegiance to Leicester remained unshaken. Under Claudio Ranieri’s management, Leicester finished a staggering ten points ahead of Arsenal in their title-winning campaign with 81 points – a stark contrast to their 14th place finish the previous year.

Vardy also scooped up the Player of the Season award in the 2015/16 campaign, and made history as the league’s oldest-ever Golden Boot winner in 2019/20 at the ripe age of 33 years and 197 days, thanks to his impressive haul of 23 goals. However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the striker, who faced the disappointment of relegation to the Championship in 2022/23 after a disappointing 18th place finish.

Despite this setback, Vardy remained loyal to the club he has dedicated most of his career to. Showing no signs of slowing down even as he approaches 40, Vardy scored an impressive 20 goals in the 2023/24 season, securing promotion for City and once again gracing the Premier League with his presence.

As it stands, Vardy has already found the back of the net twice in the current campaign – scoring against Spurs in their season opener, and then again in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace earlier this month. However, not all of Vardy’s Premier League-winning team-mates have shown the same loyalty to the Foxes, with many jumping ship when larger teams came calling.

Chelsea secured N’Golo Kante for a reported £32million in the summer of 2016, and also brought Danny Drinkwater on board for £35million the following year. Ben Chilwell joined the Blues in 2020 for a hefty £50million, while Riyad Mahrez opted for Manchester City under Pep Guardiola’s management in a £60million deal in 2018.

Leicester are still hunting for their first victory of the 2024/25 season, and are languishing in 15th place in the Premier League as it stands. They face a tough challenge away to Arsenal this afternoon.