Tottenham Hotspur are at a crossroads and will need to take the right path during the 2023 summer transfer window after missing out on Europe this season.
What's the latest on James Maddison to Tottenham?
While the leaky defence will be a priority for new manager Ange Postecoglou, bolstering the offensive ranks will also be high on the Australian's wishlist, and Leicester City midfielder James Maddison could be the answer.
According to The Telegraph, the 26-year-old has been in fine, prolific form in the Premier League this season despite the club's woes, who are demanding in excess of £50m for their most coveted asset.
While Newcastle have been in the race for the England international since last summer, Spurs' new boss is said to have asked personally for the playmaker, and chairman Daniel Levy would be wise to acquiesce and meet Maddison's lofty valuation.
Should Tottenham sign James Maddison?
Tottenham opened the door to the 22/23 campaign with optimism aplenty. Antonio Conte led from the dugout; Champions League football had returned to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – there was concrete hope that a page had been turned and the new chapter teased triumph.
It unravelled like a loose spool of string as the season went deeper, with Conte's dismissal – the fourth in four years at Spurs – in acrimonious circumstances failing to ignite a late-season purple patch to secure a top-four place which looked an attainable goal for much of the term as the Lilywhites were confined to an eighth-place finish.
While the defence is certainly a priority area for Postecoglou as he searches for success in north London, injecting fresh creativity from the centre could weave the different areas of the pitch together and enhance the fortunes of the entire squad, and Maddison is surely the prime choice for the job.
Having scored ten goals and supplied a further nine assists from just 28 starts in the Premier League this term, despite Leicester's relegation, Maddison certainly earns the acclaim that has left him labelled a "magician" by Statman Dave for his exploits.
As per FBref, the £110k-per-week maestro ranks among the top 21% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals, the top 11% for assists, the top 13% for shot-creating actions and the top 15% for progressive passes per 90, which underscores the success the two-cap ace finds as a superlative playmaker.
Also described as "dangerous" by broadcaster John Bennett, Maddison could be the perfect remedy to Dejan Kulusevski's woes, with the Swede maverick somewhat failing to impress this season after a resounding debut campaign on English shores.
The 23-year-old signed on an 18-month loan deal in January 2022 and is 'set' to complete a permanent transfer despite reservations over the €35m (£31m) fee and his lacklustre recent showings.
The Juventus property only scored two goals and provided seven assists from 30 outings in the Premier League this season after captivating in the latter phase of the 21/22 campaign, where he plundered five goals and eight assists from just 14 starts.
"We are talking about an important prospect. Probably he could explode in the future," Conte said about the £110k-per-week phenom last year.
But he has now remarked to be "blowing hot and cold" by Glenn Murray after an injury-hit term, but with Maddison beside him, he could capture the full scope of his talent and wreak havoc on English defences.
Especially considering he still ranks among the top 21% of positional peers for assists per 90, which could play into Maddison's hands as an innate midfield goalscorer, with the Foxes star hopefully repaying the favour and rekindling Kulusevski's golden touch in the final third.
