Jamie Vardy contacted over English football return with struggling EFL club – and it’s not Leicester

Jamie Vardy has been asked to make a return to England from Italy by one of his former teammates.

It’s not a blockbuster return to Leicester, instead, he’s received a text from his ex-Foxes teammate Christian Fuchs trying to get him to sign for Newport County.

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Fuchs is the current Newport manager – a post he took in November, only to now find himself in a League Two relegation battle.

It is the Austrian’s first managerial role and he’s facing a huge task to prevent his side from dropping out of the EFL.

Newport sit second bottom of the fourth tier on 20 points, winning just two games so far under Fuchs’ tutelage.

They are also one of the lowest scorers in the league and one man who would have changed that is Premier League legend Vardy, who now plays in Serie A for Italian side Cremonese.

Fuchs knew that when he took the job and he made sure to throw out an ambitious offer to his fellow Leicester title winner.

Speaking to the Daily Mail about what he did when he got the Newport job, he revealed: “I asked Jamie if he wants to pack his bags.”

But he was sadly unable to get his old mate to join, joking: “Of course I did, even though I knew what the answer would be!”

So, Fuchs had to go on without Vardy and so far in Wales, he’s lost over half of his games on the touchline.

He had to wait eight matches to taste victory for the first time, with that win coming against Crewe Alexandra on December 29.

Newport beat Chesterfield last month, but two more losses have followed and they remain in deep relegation trouble.

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Vardy in Italy

Vardy spent 13 years at Leicester and played 127 games alongside Fuchs during their time with the Foxes.

But he left the club at the end of his contract last summer, deciding to join Cremonese in Serie A on a free.

And the 39-year-old has enjoyed life in Italy so far, netting five times and assisting once in 19 league outings.

In December, Vardy even picked up the Player of the Month award in Serie A for his efforts in November.

He became the first Englishman ever to win that award.

So, it’s fair to say that sticking with Cremonese rather than taking up Fuchs’ half-joke offer to join Newport has certainly paid off.

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Fuchs on Leicester’s points deduction

The ex-Leicester defender has also reacted to his former club being docked six points for breaching PSR rules.

“It’s tough to see, the points deduction, which will put them right into a relegation battle,” Fuchs told the Daily Mail.

“I checked the table right away. It hurts because as much as I’m dedicated and committed to what I’m doing here with Newport, I’ll always be a Leicester supporter.

“I have watched almost every single game since I left. It hurts a lot.”

The Foxes have dropped to 20th in the Championship after their deduction, leaving them in relegation trouble.

Should they shockingly drop down to League One, it would come ten years on from when Fuchs won the Premier League with the club.