TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SIGN MIDFIELDER JAMES MADDISON FOR £40 MILLION

   Tottenham Hotspur Football Club have signed midfielder James Maddison from Leicester City, the club announced this week.

   Spurs had a verbal agreement with Leicester in place by Wednesday morning and the transfer developed faster than was initially expected. The deal for the transfer is estimated to be a £40 million fixed fee. Maddison passed his medicals by the evening and committed to the club on a reported five-year, £170,000-a-week deal that keeps him in North London until June 30th, 2028.

   The 26-year-old fits new Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou’s attacking style of football and is set to be the team’s most creative outlet this season. Tottenham have played without a dependable creative midfielder since Danish captain Christian Eriksen left the club in 2020, something that has resulted in goal-scoring inconsistencies within the roster over the past four years.

   Maddison outscored both Manchester City’s Kevin de Bryune and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes last season, created more goals than Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard and is known for his knack for feeding off scraps in front of the goal. One of the better players in the Premier League, Maddison will look to take his game to the next level at Tottenham.

   “I feel a hunger about the place and I’m ready to get going,” said Maddison.

   The 2021/22 Leicester City Player of the Year made 203 appearances for Leicester over a five-year spell at the East Midlands club, scoring a whopping 55 goals from midfield and providing 41 assists. Maddison also helped the Foxes lift a maiden FA Cup title in May, 2021 and the Community Shield the following season against Manchester City.

   Newcastle United attempted to sign the England international this summer but have since turned their attention to AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali who could move in this transfer window. Maddison is unlikely to link up with fellow England teammate Harry Winks at Tottenham this season as the 27-year-old midfielder is set to move in the opposite direction on a £10 million switch to Leicester. 

   Maddison is part of an ongoing Leicester exodus following the team’s relegation to the Championship this season, with Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans having already agreed to join Aston Villa on a free transfer this summer.

   In a statement to Leicester City fans, Maddison wrote on social media on Thursday: “Leicester City family, 5 seasons and 203 appearances later my journey as a Fox has come to an end. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything. I felt proud to pull on that number 10 shirt every single time. An emotional and heartfelt goodbye. Love from Madders.”

   As far as club exits go, Tottenham on the other side will be keen on retaining England forward Harry Kane this summer, especially now with one of the league’s most creative players Maddison at the club. Kane has in recent weeks been linked to a £70 million-plus transfer to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and could be tempted away with the prospect of a new challenge and the opportunity to immediately challenge for trophies.

   Tottenham’s signing of James Maddison on Wednesday wraps up a busy week at the club. Spurs confirmed the acquisition of 26-year-old goalkeeper Gugliemo Vicario from Serie A side Empoli on Tuesday for what is reported to be a £17 million (€19 million) fee. Vicario was Tottenham’s second signing of the summer after the club made Dejan Kulusevki’s loan move permanent last week and signed on a five-year contract until June 30th, 2028. 

   The Italian goalkeeper is set to be the long-term replacement for Hugo Lloris, who is approaching the final 12 months of his deal and made clear his desire for a new challenge earlier this month. One of Europe’s most promising young goalkeepers, Vicario is set to take on the mantle at Spurs after Tottenham’s pursuit of Brentford’s David Raya hit a £40 million wall.

-Maher Abucheri

Twitter: @pabloikonyero

Photo: Антон Зайцев. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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