Under Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham Hotspur has had an amazing start to the season. The Australian has so far exceeded expectations and his club is among the Premier League’s standout sides this season. The north London side has been amazing. Many predicted that the team would suffer after losing Harry Kane, yet they haven’t performed poorly thus far. The dynamic type of football that Postecoglou has his squad playing is mostly to blame for that, but James Maddison’s addition is also a key factor in the team’s early, outstanding showing.
The Englishman, who joined Spurs from the recently relegated Leicester City, has been an absolute star thus far, contributing significantly to the team’s on-field triumphs. He’s undoubtedly been one of the best additions of the year, and it’s difficult to think where the team would be at this point if he hadn’t joined. There’s no doubting his skill—he’s already contributed eight goals—but he sadly injured his ankle against Chelsea.
Maddison will now be out until after the New Year as well, according to a recent interview with Postecoglou. This is a terrible blow for Spurs. Though he has always struggled to stay fit and takes time off the field each year, his injury isn’t the most shocking news. Tottenham needs to find someone to step in for him when he’s not available because there’s a good probability he’ll return and then miss more time during the season. That’s the subject of our examination today. As the January transfer window draws near, the following five players are candidates that the team may want to sign to fill in for Maddison while he’s on the sidelines.
Kicking off our list is a man who has shone in Europe for Real Sociedad so far this season, Brais Mendez. The attacking midfielder has spent his entire career in Spain, but he’s been incredibly effective in La Liga and could be the perfect candidate to step in and fill Maddison’s role whenever he’s unavailable.
The 26-year-old scored 11 goals last season and already has five to his name so far this year. Pair that with his four assists, and you have a creative machine who has had just as strong an influence on his side as the Englishman has at Spurs. It might be hard to convince Mendez to leave Champions League football with Real Sociedad for Spurs who currently have no European football, but Postecoglou is clearly building something special, and it looks almost certain that the club will be in Europe’s elite club competition next season, so he might be interested.
Mendez is perhaps the best option available to replace Maddison in a like-for-like fashion in the event of an injury.
We might be getting a little ambitious here, but Pedro Goncalves would be a magnificent addition to the Spurs team and is capable of doing more than just covering for Maddison when the time calls for it. The talented attacker could even eventually usurp the Englishman in the team.
For now, though, he’d be as strong a replacement as there is and his form at Sporting Lisbon has made him one of the most sought-after attacking midfielders in the world right now. The 25-year-old already has seven goal contributions for the Portuguese side and has performed well in both the league and in Europe. His ability to play either in the middle or on the wing would add a level of versatility that Spurs would benefit from and if they could bag his signature, this would be a no-brainer.
Again, this is slightly ambitious, though, and a move for Goncalves would likely cost quite a bit – indeed Sporting themselves confirmed that he has a £70m release clause in his new contract – and he might not be willing to take a back seat and play behind Maddison in the pecking order. Hard to see them actually getting this one done, but what a signing it would be if they could.
Nabil Fekir
At one time, Nabil Fekir looked destined for the top of football, and it seemed like he was going to become a solid asset to the Liverpool team, but after that move fell through, he’s instead been plying his trade in Spain at Real Betis. It hasn’t been the star-making role that he likely expected when he was looking for a way to leave Lyon, but he’s been solid in La Liga.
He hasn’t quite reached the heights he did in France, and hasn’t replicated the impressive numbers he put up at Lyon, but he’s still been fine for Real Betis, scoring 28 goals across the last four seasons, which isn’t a bad return for an attacking midfielder. At 30 years old, his aims to reach the top are likely behind him, but there’s no reason he couldn’t come in at Tottenham and provide cover for Maddison when needed.
Having missed the majority of the season with injury himself, it might be a little risky, but if Fekir can keep healthy, he’d be a solid backup for Maddison, and he’d almost certainly ensure that the creative influence in the Spurs lineup doesn’t drop whenever the former Leciester man isn’t in it.
Viktor Tsygankov
Another man in Spain that has looked impressive this year is Viktor Tsygankov. The Ukraine international has been huge for Girona so far and already has four goal contributions in 11 appearances for the club. During his time at Dynamo Kyiv, he was a goalscoring machine and showed the heights that he is still capable of hitting.
His first season in Spain wasn’t quite up to that standard, but this year he’s started the campaign in strong form and would be a fantastic addition to the Spurs squad. He’s still just 25 years old, so there’s still plenty of room for development and while Maddison is out injured, he’d seamlessly slot into the Tottenham lineup and provide ample cover.
Playing as a first-team regular throughout his entire career, he might be a little apprehensive about taking on a more supporting role at Spurs, but with how injury-prone Maddison has proven to be throughout his career, he’d still get plenty of minutes in the side and would be an incredible spark off the bench as well. Girona have been nothing short of incredible this season in La Liga and are currently flying way above their pay grade. They sit top of La Liga after several months and Tsygankov has been instrumental in that success, so while it might be hard to convince the team to let him leave, Spurs should consider trying.
Takefusa Kubo
Takefusa Kubo, another star from Real Sociedad, is a terrific addition to Tottenham and has proven to be a reliable player for the La Liga team during his time in Spain. With 14 goals in 59 games, he has established himself as one of the most intriguing young attacking midfielders in Europe thanks to his team efforts.
His versatility as a winger and center would be helpful to the club, but his speed and ability to cover Maddison in the event that the Englishman was hurt would be his greatest assets. Although Kubo’s primary responsibility would be to replace the former Leciester man, at just 22 years old, he would probably go on to
He’s a tricky, pacing midfielder, capable of beating just about anyone with the ball at his feet and he’d bring a different dynamic to the Spurs side than Maddison does, but he’d still be a fantastic player to come in whenever he was needed. Last season’s tally of 15 goal contributions is the highest of his career so far, but with eight already this campaign, he’ll likely smash that record as the year progresses. If Kubo continues playing at the level he is right now, it’s only going to be a matter of time before one of the biggest clubs in the world snaps him up, and we fully expect his transfer value to skyrocket in the near future, so Spurs would be wise to get him through the door soon before that happens.
Maddison has been a massive addition to the Tottenham team and anyone brought in to replace him when he’s out injured is going to have an incredibly hard job. It’s not an easy task by any means, but for our money, these five men are the most suitable candidates for the job and stand the best chance of succeeding. Check out the table below to take a closer look at all five players we think Tottenham should be taking a look at as potential James Maddison replacements in the January transfer window.