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Vardy signs for Burnley
Former England international Jamie Vardy has joined Burnley on a season-long deal, with the 39-year-old striker arriving as a free agent after leaving Italian club Cremonese at the end of last season.
“Former Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy has joined Burnley until the end of the season.”
Burnley confirmed the signing on Sunday afternoon, and Vardy said, "I’m really happy to now be here at Burnley FC," adding, "I can’t wait to get going on the pitch and help the team move in the right direction."
The BBC reported that Burnley are winless and rooted to the foot of the Championship after failing to win any of their opening five matches, and it said Vardy joined the Clarets until the end of the season.
Burnley’s new head coach Nicky Hayen said, "We are delighted to welcome Jamie to Burnley FC," and added that "His experience and leadership will be invaluable to our squad."
The New York Times noted that Vardy scored seven goals in 28 appearances for Cremonese after moving to Italy following Leicester City’s relegation from the English top flight at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Speculation ends, rivals named
The move ended speculation that had linked Vardy with Sheffield Wednesday, with The Star saying the Championship side had expressed interest and that Burnley’s signing "officially end[ed] any hopes Sheffield Wednesday had of adding him to their squad."
The Star also quoted Sheffield Wednesday sporting director Simon Wilson saying, "At this current moment in time, there's not a conversation happening around that."
talkSPORT said Vardy had been linked with Everton and Wrexham during the transfer window, and it also named Sheffield Wednesday and Brazilian side Sao Paolo as potential next clubs.
The Mirror described the deal as a one-year contract until the end of the season and said Vardy had been linked with Everton after they failed to land a striker on deadline day.
In the same announcement, Vardy’s return was framed as an English football comeback after his spell in Italy with Cremonese, where talkSPORT said he was 39 and had been without a club all summer following his departure at the end of last term.
Burnley’s season on the line
Burnley’s signing comes as the Clarets face a difficult start in the Championship, with the BBC saying they have not won in five matches under new boss Nicky Hayen and that they conceded two goals in the final 10 minutes to lose 2-1 at home to Bristol City on Saturday.
“On Saturday they conceded two goals in the final 10 minutes to lose 2-1 at home to Bristol City.”
The New York Times added that Burnley were "currently rooted to the foot of the Championship" after failing to win any of their opening five games, and it said the signing was a response to the hole at No 9 left by Zian Flemming.
talkSPORT reported that Burnley had added Vardy after losing frontman Zian Flemming to Ipswich on Deadline Day, and it said the Clarets were in need of positivity after making a terrible start.
Vardy’s record and leadership were central to Burnley’s pitch, with the BBC noting he is Leicester’s record Premier League scorer with 145 goals and that he spent 13 years at Leicester after signing from non-league Fleetwood Town in 2012.
With Vardy joining until the end of the season, Burnley are now set to use his experience as they try to turn around a campaign that, according to the BBC, began with a 2-1 loss to Bristol City and continued without a win in five matches.