How James Maddison will improve Tottenham Hotspurs?
Tottenham Hotspur have officially acquired midfielder James Maddison from Leicester City, who were recently relegated. The Premier League club announced on Wednesday that Maddison has signed a five-year contract.
According to British media reports, Spurs paid a fee of 40 million pounds ($50.54 million) for Maddison. During his time at Leicester, Maddison scored 55 goals and contributed 41 assists in 203 matches across all competitions over the course of five seasons.
At the beginning of his time at Leicester, Claude Puel, the Leicester City manager at the time, experimented with using Maddison as a deep lying playmaker, but he soon realized that Maddison’s true impact is felt when he plays in a more advanced position.
Maddison excels in the role of a number 10, enjoying the freedom to roam and create opportunities in the attacking area of the field. He is entrusted with the responsibility of being the primary source of creativity for his team. However, similar to other talented number 10s in the past, he has successfully adapted to playing as a number eight in a 4-3-3 formation.
Maddison is expected to play in that position in Postecoglou’s system, although he can also be a valuable choice in the attacking trio, where he primarily played for Leicester last season. Dejan Kulusevski has been Tottenham’s primary playmaker alongside Harry Kane, who typically operates higher up the field, but Kulusevski missed a significant portion of last season due to injury and also had periods of poor performance. When he was not at his best, Spurs lacked a suitable substitute.
Other Spurs attackers attempted it, but none possess the necessary skill to receive the ball in the gaps, pivot, and generate opportunities like Kulusevski does. Therefore, acquiring Maddison as a signing will reduce the dependence on Kulusevski in the final third.
Maddison is a talented player who is already suited for the Premier League. He will easily secure a spot in the starting lineup at Spurs and immediately enhance the team’s performance. This is something he consistently achieved during his tenure at Leicester, where the team always appeared stronger when he was on the field.
James Maddison was the focal point of his previous club, played a crucial role in their gameplay. However, Tottenham fans are now wondering if Maddison can replicate his success at Leicester with Spurs, which is a larger team boasting more prominent players and superior talent.
Maddison will be tasked with filling the primary void in Tottenham’s midfield, which is their lack of creativity and ability to make key passes. Ever since Christian Eriksen’s departure, the team has been missing a midfielder who can unlock the opposition with a single pass. While Harry Kane is capable of doing so, it often means that someone else is on the receiving end, and with Son Heung-min not performing at his best last season, Tottenham’s effectiveness in the attacking third suffered. Maddison’s arrival will alleviate this issue and allow Kane to stay closer to the goal.
Leicester benefited from Maddison’s ability to create chances from set pieces, and Tottenham likely took this into account when they decided to sign him. In the 2022-23 season, Tottenham excelled at dead-ball situations, ranking second in the Premier League for goals scored from set-pieces (excluding penalties), with only Liverpool scoring more. With the inclusion of James Maddison, Tottenham could potentially become the most dangerous team in the league when it comes to set pieces.
Relegated players often offer great potential, and it is hard to imagine a situation where Maddison does not thrive at Tottenham. He has already proven himself in the Premier League and excelled even in a struggling Leicester team last season. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that he will quickly adapt to his new club. Considering his price tag of £40m, Maddison doesn’t seem like a risky investment at all.
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