Sheffield Wednesday deal for ‘little Jamie Vardy’ surely ends one transfer dream | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday's hope of bringing Jamie Vardy back to Hillsborough may be over after 'little Jamie Vardy' looks set to sign instead

There are a lot of dream transfer scenarios at Sheffield Wednesday this summer, but none greater than the return of former academy product Jamie Vardy.

The 39-year-old is officially a free agent after his contract with Cremonese came to an end following their relegation from Serie A. However, there's an expectation that the frontman won't be retiring just yet, and it's got Owls fans dreaming.

Vardy is a known boyhood Wednesdayite. He was born in Sheffield and came through the academy at Middlewood Road before he was released 24 years ago, aged 16. Since then, one of the most unique careers has followed, as he worked his way up through non-league to becoming a Premier League winner with Leicester City.

His career won't end with relegation in Italy, and a return to the King Power Stadium isn't on the cards either, which had some Wednesday fans giddy with the hope that the 39-year-old could drop to League One to play for them, as he'd still be a top operator at the level, and it'd represent a full-circle end to his career.

Vardy has, unfortunately for Owls fans, played down the possibility of a return on his podcast, but until he's confirmed to be signing elsewhere, and while Sheffield Wednesday still need additions at the top end of the pitch, there'd be some still living in hope.

Sheffield Wednesday have turned elsewhere for their attacking additions this summer — "little Jamie Vardy" is being targeted

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Sheffield Wednesday have secured the loan services of 17-year-old frontman Harry Gray from Leeds United. He's highly regarded as one of the best prospects to come out of the academy at Elland Road in a long time, and will be expected to play a big part this season at Hillsborough.

That doesn't seem to be the end of the new arrivals at the top end of the pitch in the coming days for Henrik Pedersen's side, though, as they're pursuing a permanent deal for Aston Villa youngster Louie Barry.

The 23-year-old has been signed three times by Wednesday's new sporting director, Simon Wilson, while part of the board at Stockport County, who have overseen the development of Barry in the past few seasons.

His 15-goals in just 23 third-tier outings in the first half of the 2024/25 campaign prompted Villa to recall him and send him to the Championship, but spells at Hull City and then Sheffield United last season were derailed by injury, and he found his way back to Stockport in January.

Barry has been a name that many have been familiar with for a while now, though, despite his age. The forward spent time in the Barcelona academy and scored on his senior debut for a short-handed Villa side impacted by a Covid outbreak against a strong Liverpool team in the FA Cup back in January 2021.

Liverpool's head coach at the time, Jurgen Klopp, sang the praises of the then-17-year-old, dubbing him a "little Jamie Vardy."

"The boys did really well. Little Jamie Vardy was a proper threat," he told talkSPORT after the game.

Injury and not being able to settle in one club haven't led to Barry becoming a Premier League regular just yet. But at 23, Vardy was playing in the Northern Premier League with Halifax Town, so there's still plenty of time for the wideman, and Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping he can lead them on a similar journey that Vardy did with Leicester.

Signing "little Jamie Vardy" may indicate Sheffield Wednesday's stance on Jamie Vardy this summer

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While there's no concrete indication that Gray and Barry will be the only forward signings at Sheffield Wednesday this summer, it decreases the demand for there to be any further arrivals in the near future.

Looking at the Owls' depth chart at the end of last season, Wednesday did have a healthy number of attackers. The likes of Will Grainger, Charlie McNeill and George Brown could all develop massively in League One, and Jamal Lowe provides good third-tier experience.

Even Ike Ugbo, who has struggled massively since completing a permanent switch to Sheffield Wednesday, could play a part in their League One return.

So, with a couple more frontmen on the books, there'll be a greater focus, you'd imagine, on bolstering the rest of the side this summer, which could mean a return for Vardy may, unfortunately, not be on the cards.

But, while the real Vardy may not find himself on the books at Hillsborough, there's every chance that 'little' Vardy can make himself a hero at Sheffield Wednesday, if he signs, and be one of the main assets in the Owls' rise back up the EFL.