Big Sam tried to make Vardy a Hammer

Sam Allardyce has told Jamie Vardy he tried to sign him while he was West Ham manager and Vardy was at non-League Fleetwood only to be beaten by Leicester City.

The England manager told Vardy that Fleetwood’s then manager, Micky Mellon, had recommended him in 2012. Vardy admitted: “When I first arrived for the squad, the manager told me a little story of when I was at Fleetwood and their manager was trying to get him to sign me at West Ham”

Early this summer the Hammers thought they had a second chance to sign him only to be disappointed yet again. In June West Ham believed they had clinched a deal to take  Vardy to the London Stadium at around £105k a week before they were hit by new inflationary demands in negotiations. His advisors allegedly agreed he would sign for the Hammers around £90k a week plus £15k for every first team appearance but the deal stalled.

A Hammers source told ClaretadHugh at the time: “We thought we had a deal and it came as a surprise when the fee moved up so dramatically – there was a lot going on behind the scenes with other clubs!”

Perhaps it was all a negotiation ploy by his advisors to get a better deal with Leicester City. Vardy turned down both West Ham and Arsenal to stay at Leicester on a new four year contract worth £100,000 per week basic for the 29 year old.