Tottenham Hotspur have one of the biggest ties in their recent history when they face off against Liverpool in the Champions League final on June 1st. Whichever way the game goes, the Lilywhites will possibly lose one of their most important player in recent years, Christian Eriksen, who has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid in the summer transfer window.
But Spurs may have targeted a readymade replacement for the Danish superstar in Leicester City’s young attacking midfielder James Maddison – and it seems like Spurs are going to make a big bid for Maddison in the weeks to come.
The 22-year-old Englishman, in his first year in the Premier League and at Leicester City, impressed fans and pundits with his vision and passing ability. Maddison ended the Premier League season with 7 goals and 7 assists in the league, stringing together a good partnership with another young midfielder who was on loan at the club, Youri Tielemans.
Maddison moved to Leicester City in the 2018 summer transfer window for a transfer fee of around £22.5 million and had a great season, helping the Foxes to a ninth-place finish in the league.
Should Spurs splash the cash to sign Maddison?
The young Englishman made a seamless transition to life in the top-flight of English football and showed that he belonged there with his massive influence on the Leicester team. The attacking midfielder, who also featured in the centre of the park as well as on the left, has great passing ability and vision to pick out his teammates, and link play between midfield and attack.
Maddison likes to take on players with his neat dribbling, and while he’s not blessed with blistering pace, his quick thinking helps him get around defenders. He is a player who is deadly from set pieces as well, while he can also pick out runs by his forwards with perfect through balls more often than not.
With four years left on his contract and a few clubs interested in signing him, Maddison will not come at a cheap price, and there is a feeling that Leicester will demand a figure substantially more than the £22.5m they paid to sign him to even consider selling him.
But with the quality that he has showcased and Pochettino’s record of developing young talent, Spurs should certainly splash the cash to sign him.