The striker's 18 goals thus far this season have propelled Leicester to the top of the Premier League table, but his fortunes could have been different had he joined The Latics
Title-chasing Jamie Vardy could have joined Oldham Athletic for a fee of £30,000, former manager Paul Dickov has revealed.
Vardy's 18 goals thus far this campaign have fired the Foxes to the top of the table as they prepare for Saturday's early kick-off at Manchester City.
Dickov has long been a keen admirer of Vardy, and has now revealed that he was close to signing the now-England international from non-league Halifax Town during his spell at Boundary Park, only for the deal to fall through when Oldham were unable to find the funds to complete the transfer.
"I remember watching Jamie Vardy five years ago, we went and scouted him when I was Oldham manager and he was at Halifax," Dickov said.
"We actually came very close to buying him but the club didn't have the funds to stump up the £30,000, as it was at the time.
"Even back then, we watched him six or seven times, he had a massive influence on the team – the way he closed down, the way he chased, the way he harried.
"And he could always score goals. Throughout his career, regardless of what level he's played at, he's done it.
"He's got a real hunger and a real enthusiasm about his game that is infectious to the team."
While Vardy's rise to the top level from the lower divisions has been somewhat meteoric, Sergio Aguero is an established presence among the game's elite strikers, and Dickov has expressed his love for the Argentine, who has 12 goals in his past 10 Premier League appearances.
"I've got a bit of a man-crush on him. I absolutely love him," he explained.
"I go down to City and watch him a lot. I can just watch him for 90 minutes – his movement, his pace, his technical ability.
"He's got everything and I put him right up there. People talk about [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo; when Aguero is fit and he's had a run of games in him, he's definitely in the top three in the world for me."
- Goal