Tottenham News Scout: Why Tottenham need to bring James Maddison to North London this summer
Tottenham are reportedly eying a move for Leicester City’s James Maddison after the attacking midfielder earned his first start for England last weekend.
Spurs have been linked with Maddison for a while with The Telegraph reporting on 7 March that the Londoners are interested in the 26-year-old, who’ll cost a minimum of £60million this summer.
However, given Leicester’s torrid campaign and the fact that come this summer, Maddison will be entering the final year of his contract – and this could see Tottenham finally make their move.
Spurs are certainly thin in midfield, and with the expected departures of Lucas Moura and Arnaut Danjuma in the summer, they could become similarly light in attack, making Maddison the perfect replacement.
The Coventry-born England international plays naturally as a central attacking midfielder, although he has occasionally been deployed on the right wing which would see him offer cover to Tottenham’s attack.
There’s no doubt Maddison is enjoying a fine season, being the Foxes’ top scorer in the Premier League alongside fellow countryman Harvey Barnes with nine goals, whilst his six assists leaves him as Leicester’s outright best creator [WhoScored].
However, it’s not just Maddison’s output that’s impressive, as his underlying numbers paint the picture of a truly elite creator.
Against fellow midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, Maddison ranks in the top three per cent or better for metrics such as shots, non-penalty xG, assists, and shot-creating actions, showing the ability to excel even in the poorest of Leicester teams [FB Ref].
Moreover, in receiving an impressive 5.88 progressive passes, Maddison is adept at picking the ball up in advanced areas – a quality really only visible in Harry Kane at Tottenham at present.
His ability to draw 2.62 fouls per 90 minutes could be useful for Spurs as Maddison has also shown quality over a dead ball with two free-kick goals in the Premier League already this season – just one less than phenomenon James Ward-Prowse [Premier League].
Maddison boasts a staggering goal involvement every 109 minutes in this season’s Premier League, a rate level with Kane that sees the duo rank sixth and seventh in the division this season [WhoScored], so the idea of the two teaming up at Tottenham is an exciting prospect for fans.
Considering Leicester’s form, and even an outside chance the Foxes could find themself in the Championship next season, Maddison certainly looks attainable for Spurs, and he profiles as the exact type of player they have been calling out for all season.
Given that Spurs have been keen on Maddison in the past, this is absolutely a deal worth keeping an eye on this summer, as the Englishman looks a perfect fit for Tottenham.