Everton Consider Surprise Move for Jamie Vardy Amid Striker Crisis
Everton are weighing up a move for Jamie Vardy on a free transfer, with a growing number of supporters backing what would be one of the most surprising signings of the season.
The club head into the autumn with just one senior centre-forward after selling Beto on deadline day and failing to land Folarin Balogun. For a side expected to scrap for every point, that is a dangerous gamble.
With the transfer window shut, David Moyes has only one place left to look: the free agent market. That is where Vardy comes into play.
Vardy on the radar after Cremonese exit
The 39-year-old is available after leaving Cremonese at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. Since then, his name has been linked with several clubs, and he is understood to have turned down an approach from Wrexham.
Now comes the twist. Rather than drifting towards a quiet final chapter, Vardy is being talked about for a return to the Premier League, with Everton emerging as a possible destination.
Reports that Everton are considering the former England striker, first carried by The Sun, could easily have sparked alarm. No pre-season. Pushing 40. A player whose peak years at Leicester City feel a long way back.
Instead, a different mood has taken hold.
Fans back Vardy punt
Everton supporters have flocked to X to back the idea, many arguing that in the current circumstances it makes sense. This is a squad that, right now, is one injury or loss of form away from having no recognised senior striker.
Relying on Barry alone until January looks like a relegation-risk strategy. If he picks up a knock or hits a dry spell, Everton’s attack would be stripped bare. Points would slip, and the table would quickly start to look ugly.
That is why the free agent market suddenly feels less like a last resort and more like a necessity. Vardy, for all the caveats, offers something few others can: proven Premier League nous and a nose for big moments.
Can Vardy still deliver?
For those wondering whether he has anything left, the numbers from last season in Italy offer a response. Vardy scored seven Serie A goals for Cremonese and was named the division’s Player of the Month in November.
No one at Goodison Park would realistically expect the Leicester legend to reproduce that kind of output over a full Premier League campaign at his age. Everton do not need him to.
What Moyes needs between now and January is a forward who can come off the bench, stretch defences, and nick a crucial goal or two. A late winner here. A scruffy equaliser there. The sort of moments that keep a club’s head above water.
That is the bet Everton are weighing up: short-term impact over long-term planning, experience over energy.
For now, it is only interest, not a bid. The club have yet to make an official move, and Vardy’s future remains open.
But with the season already shaping into a survival battle and the striker department stripped to the bone, how long can Everton afford to wait before turning interest into action?
