JAMIE VARDY went from a Fleetwood Town prospect to a Leicester City star. One that has now won the English Premier League, and played and scored for England at Euro 2016.
The striker was a Non-League player for a while, and it’s made teams across the county search for the ‘next Vardy’. Peterborough United nearly grabbed Vardy first, however, they failed, but could they find the next Non-League Vardy?
The Posh were in talks with Vardy, but the Foxes swooped in and signed him. Now many clubs believe they can save money, and find a title-winning player there within Non-League.
Posh have a great chance of doing just that. The club have a policy in which they sign these kind of players and sell them for a profit. Both Aaron McLean and Dwight Gayle were sold on, going from Non-League to the EPL. They weren’t Vardy, but it shows they have an eye for talent in this league.
Their current batch, consisting of; Lee Angol and Aaron Williams, could be the man. Both men made moves to the Posh, similar to Vardy’s Non-League exit. The rest remains to be seen.
Although the club will continue to search Non-League, Angol appears the next man to make the move. The question is will he be the next Vardy or Gayle?
It’s clear that a closer look at the odds shows the Foxes are EPL favourites again next season, but who will find the new Vardy?
Upon joining the club two years ago, Angol insisted: “The club has a great history with strikers scoring goals and hopefully I can follow in their footsteps.
“Dwight Gayle actually followed a similar path to me, he left a Premier League club, went out on-loan to Non-League clubs and scored goals and obviously John Still was the manager at the time [at Dagenham].”
He has excellent ball control, great strength, and the ability to score. The hard-working forward has arguably started brighter for Boro than Vardy did for the Foxes, so that potential rise isn’t as unthinkable as it might seem.
Williams could be that man, but probably not. The club are however seeking attacking prospects from Non-League, but can they find someone to match Vardy’s ability?
Although the Posh never got Vardy, they nearly did, and he – alongside others – shows that they’re great at finding Non-League attackers.
If any club has – or will – find the next Vardy, you’d be safe in betting that Posh will be that team. Their track record speaks for itself, and with the Foxes now EPL giants, Posh might get the next Vardy should he become available.
