Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy pulled off a transfer heist with the signing of £170k-a-week star.
Tottenham Hotspur without Harry Kane? No worries. Ange Postecoglou’s team entered the Premier League season without its leading striker, creative playmaker, and uncontested talisman for the first time in recent years, and even the most passionate of Spurs fans might have been understood for being gloomy.
However, fast forward nearly six weeks, and the North London team has experienced a remarkable turnaround in the top-flight. They achieved a dominant victory against Manchester United, staged a stunning comeback against Sheffield United, and played out an intense 2-2 draw in the North London derby against Arsenal. While Postecoglou has undeniably extracted top-notch performances from most, if not all, of his players, one individual has truly stood out for the tremendous impact he has had on the club since his arrival: James Maddison.
During the summer transfer window, the English international made the move from Leicester City, who had been relegated, for a fee in the vicinity of £40 million. Reports indicated that he would be earning approximately £170,000 per week at Hotspur Way. This deal, while not exorbitant in terms of transfer fees or wages in today’s footballing landscape, has quickly proven its worth. With two goals and four assists in his initial six Premier League appearances for the club, Maddison has already ignited excitement among fans about the prospect of him flourishing at the club in the coming years. Tottenham Hotspur has long been without a genuinely creative attacking midfielder of Maddison’s caliber, someone capable not only of scoring spectacular goals but also setting them up for teammates – a void that Maddison himself pointed out had existed at the North London club in recent times.
When I was speaking to my agent about moving clubs and you come to a place where you need to make decisions, where you want to go and what you think fits best, I could actually see myself playing for Spurs. There’s a little window for me at Tottenham Hotspur, a creative player that they’ve always had, maybe not had in recent years. I could definitely see myself, when making the decision, playing for Tottenham, in that kit, in that stadium and being the creative player I know I can be.
Dubbed as “unbelievable” by England teammate, Kieran Trippier, Maddison put in a superb performance in the north London derby against Arsenal, getting back at Bukayo Saka’s mockery of his own goal celebration in the best way possible. Twice the Lilywhites fought from behind, and twice it was Maddison at the heart of things. First, his driving run from the left-hand side saw him beat his man before pulling it back for Heung-min Son to net the first of his two. Then, in the second-half, immediately after Bukayo Saka had given Arsenal the lead again, Maddison robbed Jorginho of the ball in the middle of the park, surged forward and then slipped in his South Korean teammate once again to equalise.
It was a display full of energy, movement and creativity, and precisely why Spurs decided to shell out in the summer to bring him in. The fact the north Londoners lost their attacking impetus the moment he went off encapsulated just how important he was not just in that game, but already to the team as a whole in general. He was at the heart of everything good about the side, and quite encouragingly for Spurs fans, is his already exciting link-up with Heung-min Son. The South Korea star of course enjoyed one of the finest partnerships of the Premier League era with Kane, combining to devastating effect when the England striker was at the club. But Maddison’s arrival has similarly unlocked a natural understanding between the two
His performance against Arsenal would have had Spurs fans reminiscing about the last time they had such a creative force in their side. But while Eriksen became a cult hero in north London, when you compare Maddison’s stats with the Dane’s first campaign in the Premier League, then the former Leicester star favours considerably well. If he continues in this vein of form until the rest of the season, then he will finish with significantly more goals and assists than Eriksen, while his underlying numbers are all better barring crosses per game.
Just as much as his ability on the ball, it’s clear Maddison is the kind of character who can really define this new Spurs era under Postecoglou. Far too often in recent years, the club have been branded ‘soft’, ‘weak’ and ‘bottlejobs’. But with their new talisman leading the way, and the kind of mentality he has, those taglines should become a part of history. The club’s recruitment over the years has been questionable but Maddison already looks set to be an unqualified success just a few games in to his Premier League career at Spurs.
I’m at my best when I have responsibility on my shoulders – that’s when I thrive. I’m a player who loves to be on the ball and that fits with how the manager wants his players to play.
While Levy might not be the most popular figure in north London, his signing of Maddison certainly needs to be applauded. He may not get a lot of things right, but snapping the England star up before any of their rivals swooped in is already proving to be a masterstroke. If the play-maker can lead Spurs back into the Champions League this season, he will have already made up for his £40m and then some. It may be the kind of signing that fans look back at on next summer as the one that defined their entire campaign and set them on the course to future success.