---
title: "The one that got away: Arsenal and Jamie Vardy"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/the-one-that-got-away-arsenal-and-jamie-vardy/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Stephan Georgiou"
section: "Arsenal Football Club"
published: "2019-11-07T06:30:21Z"
modified: "2019-11-07T06:30:21Z"
---

# The one that got away: Arsenal and Jamie Vardy

**This article forms part of our The Ones That Got Away feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern take a look back at players linked with moves in the past, and see how they would have made an impact had they signed for the interested side.**

2016 was a different time. Leicester City were [champions of England](https://www.skysports.com/premier-league-table/2015), Arsenal were in the Champions League and Chelsea had scraped a top-half finish in the Premier League.

And once upon a time, Arsenal sought to go one better than their second-place finish that year by [bidding for Foxes hero Jamie Vardy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36450106).

The move made some sense – Vardy had just fired Leicester to the unlikeliest of title triumphs and were the only ones standing in the way of runners-up Arsenal, who had seen their own challenge fade long before [Tottenham’s slip-up](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36126924) gifted the Foxes their historic glory.

Vardy scored [24 times](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jamie-vardy/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/197838/plus/0?saison=2015&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=) as Leicester finished 10 points clear of their nearest rivals – with [Olivier Giroud’s league tally of 16](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fc-arsenal/toptorschuetzensaison/verein/11) the best Arsenal’s frontline could muster that year.

An approach in June 2016 saw the Gunners trigger the striker’s [release clause](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36450106), with Arsene Wenger looking for a more pragmatic solution to their goalscoring woes after seeing the title elude his side once again.

But Vardy would [reject the Gunners and sign a new long-term deal](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11712/10322533/jamie-vardy-snubs-arsenal-to-stay-at-leicester-on-new-deal) at the King Power Stadium, insisting it was [‘easy’ to turn Arsenal down](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11712/10518119/jamie-vardy-easy-to-reject-arsenal-transfer-to-stay-at-leicester).

The 32-year-old went on to continue his marvellous goalscoring form in Leicester colours, [hitting the 20-mark again in the 2017/18 season](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jamie-vardy/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/197838/plus/0?saison=2017&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=) and became the [first player to reach double figures this term](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/top-scorers) after his recent strike against Crystal Palace.

He has [scored against Arsenal more often than against any other side](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jamie-vardy/bilanz/spieler/197838) in his career – with [eight in total](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jamie-vardy/bilanzdetails/spieler/197838/gegner/11) following a brace against the Gunners back in April – and will undoubtedly be looking to improve on that this weekend.

Arsenal, meanwhile, turned to Deportivo striker [Lucas Perez](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/10558327/arsenal-confirm-transfer-of-lucas-perez-from-deportivo-la-coruna) after being rebuffed by the Foxes man, with the Spaniard leaving the Emirates Stadium following just [seven strikes](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-perez/leistungsdatenverein/spieler/73185) in a dismal campaign that saw the Gunners [fail to qualify for the Champions League](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39912025) for the first time in 20 years.

Despite [Alexis Sanchez](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fc-arsenal/toptorschuetzensaison/verein/11) topping [Vardy’s](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jamie-vardy/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/197838/plus/0?saison=2016&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=) Premier League tally by almost double in that year, Arsenal’s underachievement that season and to date – with Vardy and Leicester currently [among the top four positions](https://www.skysports.com/premier-league-table/2019) above the fifth-placed Gunners – has left their failed pursuit of the striker looking potentially a very costly one indeed.

And to think he only had to say yes after a [£20m bid](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36450106) over three years ago, Arsenal may yet be ruing that near-miss to this day.

\[freshpress-poll id=”251299″\]

***Arsenal fans, do you regret not signing Vardy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!***