James Maddison in line to return ‘next week’ at Tottenham, could make squad v Manchester City in FA Cup
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou will be desperate to have his first-team squad available once again for the second half of his debut season in north London.
After guiding Spurs to the top of the Premier League and winning three consecutive Manager of the Month awards, Postecoglou had his new supporters dreaming of what might be.
Unfortunately, injuries and suspensions have seen some of that momentum derail over the past few months, although Tottenham have managed to keep themselves within one point of the top four.
They haven’t been at full strength for some time now, since the 4-1 home defeat against Chelsea to be exact (6 November).
That was over two months ago, and with Son Heung-min, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr all set to spend the next few weeks with their international squads at the Asia Cup and African Cup of Nations, the north London side will have to wait a little longer until they have all their best players on the pitch at the same time once again.
However, the return of star midfielder James Maddison would certainly help soften that blow.
Maddison made a dream start to his Spurs career after signing from Leicester City in a £40million deal (Sky Sports News, 29 June). The England international scored three goals and provided five assists in his first 11 league games for Tottenham, and was central to the way his team played.
He hasn’t been seen since going off injured in the defeat against Chelsea, and reliable Tottenham-insider Paul O Keefe, who was recently credited by Fabrizio Romano via the Italian journalist’s official X account for his call on Hugo Lloris’ now-confirmed move to LAFC (28 December), has now provided an update on his return.
Responding to a supporter, O Keefe revealed via his official X platform (10 January) that Maddison “should be in full training next week apparently.”
If that proves to be the case, it means that Maddison could have two full weeks of training under his belt when Manchester City visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the FA Cup fourth round at the end of the month.
This would likely mean he would make his return to action against Pep Guardiola’s side, which would offer Tottenham a huge chance of advancing to the fifth round of England’s oldest cup competition.
Maddison has been one of the most creative players in England’s top flight this season when he has been available.
As per fbref, the 27-year-old ranks in the 99th percentile of his positional peers in the division this season for the number of progressive passes he has played (9.91 per 90), shots he has had on target (1.53 per 90), passes he has played into the penalty area (3.27 per 90) and number of shot-creating actions he has been involved in (8.17 per 90).
Not only is his creativity key, but his impressive defensive contributions make him the perfect midfielder to play in Postecoglou’s high-pressing, possession-based system. Maddison ranks in the top 13 per cent of attacking midfielders in the Premier League for the number of tackles he has made in the attacking third this season (0.51 per 90) and the top nine per cent for the number of dribblers he has tackled (53.3 per cent per 90).
His ability in and around the penalty area is second to none among Tottenham’s midfielders, as his most recent goal in a Spurs shirt proved.
Maddison got himself on the scoresheet during Spurs’ 2-0 home win against Fulham (23 October). As seen in the image above, the playmaker was quick to react as the ball came toward Son Heung-min on the edge of the box.
Son picked him out, and Maddison was able to slot home to double the Tottenham lead.
Little did the midfielder know at the time that this strike would be his last for quite some time, and Spurs fans will hope that he is ready to return with another almost three months on.
In other Tottenham news, another injured star could return as soon as the upcoming clash with Manchester United.