Everton Consider Shock Move for Jamie Vardy as Striker Crisis Deepens

Everton are exploring a surprise move for Jamie Vardy on a free transfer, with a growing number of supporters backing the idea of the veteran forward making a dramatic Premier League return.

The club are desperately light up front. After selling Beto on deadline day and failing to land Folarin Balogun, the Toffees head into the autumn with just one senior striker available. It is a gamble that already feels reckless.

With the transfer window shut, David Moyes has only one avenue left if he wants more firepower before January: free agents. Vardy, recently released by Cremonese at the end of the 2025-26 season, has emerged as one of the names under consideration.

The 39-year-old has not been short of suitors. He has been linked with several clubs since leaving Italy and is understood to have turned down an approach from Wrexham. A move back to the English top flight, though, would be the most eye-catching twist of all.

Everton fans back bold Vardy punt

On paper, the situation is stark. Everton cannot realistically expect to navigate the next few months with only one recognised centre-forward. One injury, one prolonged dip in form, and the season could unravel quickly.

That is why the free agent market suddenly looks so important. It is also why, when The Sun reported that Everton were weighing up a move for Vardy, many might have anticipated a backlash.

He is 39. His peak years at Leicester City are long gone. He has not had a full pre-season. All the usual red flags are there.

Yet the reaction from large sections of the fanbase has cut against that logic. Supporters have taken to X to argue that, in the current circumstances, Vardy would be a smart, opportunistic signing – a short-term fix with a proven nose for goal.

Can Vardy still deliver in the Premier League?

Age has slowed him, but it has not completely dulled his edge. Vardy showed last season that he can still hurt defences at a high level, scoring seven goals in Serie A for Cremonese and collecting the league’s Player of the Month award in November.

No one at Goodison Park would expect the Leicester legend to replicate his title-winning exploits or churn out double figures across a full campaign. That is not the pitch here. Everton simply need someone who can step in, occupy defenders and chip in with a handful of crucial strikes.

If he were to sign and produce even “a couple” of goals – especially late winners in tight games – it could be the difference between clinging on in mid-table and being dragged towards trouble by Christmas. For Moyes, that kind of marginal gain is exactly what this move would be about.

For now, though, it is only a possibility. Everton are weighing their options, Vardy is available, and the clock to January is already ticking. Whether the club turn tentative interest into a concrete offer will define just how bold they are prepared to be in solving their striker problem.