Exclusive: David Prutton makes revelation on Jamie Vardy's Leicester City future | OneFootball

The 38-year old striker is out of contract in the summer

Leicester City look set for a return to the Championship next season after a measly Premier League campaign.

The Foxes’ relegation is all-but mathematically confirmed, with a 17 point deficit required to be overturned to catch up with 17th-placed West Ham United.

It’s been a season defined by bluntness in attack and fragility at home: Leicester went 76 days without scoring and became the first team in Premier League history to lose eight consecutive home games without finding the net.

The dismal run equalled their longest losing streak, previously set at the tail end of the 2000–01 season. This time around, even avoiding a club-record ninth straight defeat - thanks to a draw with Brighton - feels like a hollow reprieve.

Despite Leicester’s blunt attacking season, iconic club captain Jamie Vardy has remained central to discussions on the club’s immediate future. With their talismanic stiker out of contract in the summer, discussions around extending the 38-year old’s stay at the King Power Stadium have been an undercurrent of the disappointing campaign.

David Prutton weighs in on Jamie Vardy’s next move

Football League World exclusively asked Sky Sports pundit and former EFL midfielder David Prutton if he would look to stay at Leicester City or seek pastures new for the 25/26 season if he was in Jamie Vardy’s shoes.

“Jamie Vardy - do you stay at Leicester? Depends - depends what the money’s like, depends how he’s going to be used in what would be a Championship campaign next year.” Prutton told FLW.

“He’s shown last time he was there just how effective it still was, I think it’s been brutal all round, hasn’t it, for Leicester in the Premier League, with the standard of teams they’ve come across.”

“They have frustrated at times, they’ve surrendered at times, but on other occasions, they’ve shown fight, so it’s that inherent inconsistency that ends with a team in the bottom three.”

“So, Jamie Vardy’s force of personality, the sheer kind of weight of expectation he shoulders from the club and the fans, he has dealt with admirably and I mean unbelievably successful - we’re talking about a player there who’s up there with Leicester’s greatest players.”

“So, if he chooses to give it another bash, I think it would be - at some point you’ve got to have a succession plan - but I think a Jamie Vardy force of personality at Leicester City is a good thing.”

Leicester City’s rebuild needs Jamie Vardy’s experience and leadership

Vardy’s contract situation may feel like a side note in the context of Leicester’s grim season, but it could be one of the more stabilising decisions the club makes ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Despite the lack of service and the overall attacking malaise, Vardy remains the club’s top scorer this season - a testament to both his quality and the failures elsewhere in the squad.

At 38, he’s no longer the explosive outlet of the Foxes' title-winning past, but his presence still carries weight: on the pitch, in the dressing room, and among supporters desperate for something familiar to cling to.

A short-term deal for Vardy would provide Leicester with a vital thread of continuity as they navigate the fallout of relegation. But more importantly, it buys them time.

The deeper issues - recruitment, tactical identity, and dressing room cohesion - need addressing from top to bottom. Vardy can’t fix all of that, but his leadership and connection to the club make him a valuable piece of whatever comes next.

In a season of firsts Leicester would rather forget, keeping hold of a player who embodies their best moments could offer a steadying influence in a league that’s relentless, unforgiving, and full of better memories from their not-so-distant past.