James Maddison worry emerges after ‘petulant’ Tottenham midfielder incident v West Ham United
Ex-Tottenham employee Bryan King is worried about James Maddison’s attitude after the midfielder refused to shake Lucas Paqueta’s hand against West Ham.
Ange Postecoglou’s side failed to climb above Aston Villa and into the Premier League top four as they drew 1-1 with the Hammers at the London Stadium on Tuesday (2 April).
The hosts equalised through Kurt Zouma following a corner kick after Brennan Johnson had given the visitors the lead inside the opening five minutes.
Spurs struggled to create many meaningful opportunities, with Maddison not at his best, and the England international showed clear signs of frustration as he refused to shake Paqueta’s hand after the Brazillian had fouled him during the first half.
And King has expressed his concern with the 27-year-old’s body language.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, King said: “I do worry about Maddison, he got drawn into one or two things.
“I noticed that he refused to shake Paqueta’s hand, and then Tottenham should have had a free-kick when Paqueta fouled Maddison on the edge of the box with West Ham almost going up and scoring at the other end. There was a little something between Paqueta and Maddison all game.
“Maddison hasn’t been quite as effective as he was since he has come back from injury. Perhaps these petulant moments are a sign of frustration.”
Ange Postecoglou will be worried about James Maddison after his recent Tottenham form
Maddison has been a shadow of himself over the past couple of months.
He has struggled to replicate his form from the beginning of the season, and Postecoglou will be concerned by his lack of contributions in recent weeks.
Against West Ham, he cut an unhappy figure, and if Spurs are to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, they will need Maddison at his best.
He will be hoping to put in a much-improved performance against Nottingham Forest on Sunday (7 April).
In other Tottenham news, King believes Liverpool would need to pay a major fee to bring Postecoglou to the club amid an update in their search for a new manager.
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