Matthew Chadder

Wed 7 June 2023 7:10, UK

New Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has identified relegated Leicester star James Maddison as a transfer target for his new club, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

However, the report stated on 6 June that Tottenham will have to fight off interest for Maddison from Newcastle if they want to land their man with a £40 million bid likely to be enough to seal the signature.

Maddison scored 10 league goals and provided nine assists last season, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Foxes up with relegation making his departure highly likely.

And Tottenham would be unwise to miss out on the midfielder, as he is exactly what the club is crying out for to bring life to a stagnant midfield.

Not only would Maddison offer a level of creativity that is currently not being offered by Oliver Skipp or Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but he is also the perfect player to play in Postecoglou’s system.

At Celtic, the Australian coach would usually operate with a 4-3-3 and would use a number eight – often David Turnbull – to push forward and support the centre-forward in order to provide an added threat on goal.

That attacking-minded number eight position is one which Maddison could fit perfectly for Postecoglou.

As per stats provided by FBREF, Maddison had 3.01 shots per 90 on average during the 2022/23 Premier League season, which put him in the 91st percentile of his positional peers in the competition.

As well as this, his 5.01 shot-creating actions as well as his 0.34 expected assisted goals per 90 put him in the 94th and 96th percentile of these stats respectively.

These stats demonstrate that the 26-year-old could successfully operate as an attacking eight for Postecoglou.

As well as this, a comparison to Spurs’ two current midfield options supports the idea that Maddison would be a breath of fresh air for fans.

The player’s 2.50 key passes per 90 put him in the 97th percentile. By contrast, Skipp was only making 0.60 key passes per 90 whilst Hojbjerg made 0.86.

Add to this Maddison’s 4.25 passes into the final third per 90 from last season and it’s clear to see why Tottenham are interested in the England international.

This signing is an absolute no-brainer. Leicester will need to sell following their relegation from the Premier League and the player will be keen on making the switch away.

He is exactly what Tottenham are in need of and would suit the new manager’s style perfectly, while not being as expensive as he once was.

What might prove difficult is the competition from Newcastle with the Magpies having Champions League football to offer. However, if Tottenham can make their move early and outbid their competition, there is no reason why they can’t make Maddison the first signing of the Postecoglou era.

In other Tottenham news, Spurs Scout had a look at another potential Tottenham arrival.