Stan Collymore believes Jamie Vardy missed a trick by not signing for Arsenal

Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore believes there is a perceptible bias for players in the top four clubs in the Premier league and had Jamie Vardy moved to Arsenal last summer, he would be starting for England, ahead of Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge and Harry Kane. The striker snubbed a chance to move to the Emirates this summer despite the Gunners having activated his release clause but has struggled to replicate his form with the Champions this season.

The north London club wanted to sign him as an alternative to Olivier Giroud but had to settle for Lucas Perez going into the last few days of the transfer window. However, Arsene Wenger has stumbled on a good partnership with Alexis Sanchez through the middle, with the Chilean scoring four goals in the league thus far. Meanwhile, Giroud is out injured and is unlikely to be available for the next two weeks.

"Some people will look at the start Jamie Vardy has made to the season and think Arsene Wenger had a lucky escape. That the player whose goals led Leicester to the Premier League title and convinced the Arsenal manager to meet his £20million buy-out clause in June was, while not exactly a one-season wonder, arguably a season-and-a-half one," Collymore said in his column with the Mirror.

"But, rather than think Wenger has got away with one, I'd look at it the other way and say I'll bet Vardy has wondered, if only once or twice, about what might have been had he taken the plunge with the Gunners. What if he had 'risked' moving to Arsenal, one of England's biggest clubs, on a seriously fat salary and out of what is a relative comfort zone in the East Midlands?

"I'm adamant that had he done so, he'd be ahead of Danny Sturridge, Wayne Rooney and even Harry Kane in the England pecking order, even if he was performing only at the same level he is for the champions."