West Ham United could be handed a major boost as Leicester boss Claude Puel has decided to axe striker Jamie Vardy from his starting XI in Saturday’s clash, according to the Telegraph.
The newspaper reports on their website that the Foxes manager- who after four defeats in six, is under pressure to turn Leicester’s fortunes around – has decided to drop the 31-year-old for the fixture with the Hammers, a choice which has left the attacker ‘angered’.
The forward came off towards the conclusion of Monday’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal after feeling unwell with a stomach bug, but he is now fully fit.
OPINION
West Ham will no doubt be ecstatic that Puel is set to drop Jamie Vardy from Saturday’s clash. He was arguably one of their biggest threats, but Manuel Pellegrini can now rest easy knowing that he will not be on the pitch. The Irons have a better opportunity than ever to claim all three points here, and it now looks more likely now Vardy is not set to play. However, that does not mean that they can be complacent – the Foxes still pose a genuine threat without their frontman. Nevertheless, West Ham’s defenders will not have such a torrid time down at the King Power Stadium this weekend, and for that they must be grateful. It is not a surprise that Vardy is fuming after Puel’s decision to drop him, especially if he was fully fit to be in contention for the clash. He has been decent this season, so many fans will be scratching their heads as to why he would not be starting. What is Leicester’s loss is West Ham’s gain – and they need to make the most of this while they can.