Tottenham Hotspur could sign their Christian Eriksen replacement in Leicester City star James Maddison, according to journalist Dean Jones.
The Lowdown: Conte’s no.10 search
As per a football.london report, Spurs manager Antonio Conte was on the hunt for a new no.10 this summer, with the squad short of a midfield playmaker since Eriksen’s departure in 2021.
Whilst FA Registered Intermediary Paul O Keefe claimed the Lilywhites were ‘seriously considering’ making a move for the former England international, the north London club ended up being deterred by the Foxes’ £70m valuation of the player.
Consequently, a deal failed to materialise, with Newcastle’s failed £50m bid highlighting Leicester’s reluctance to budge on their asking price.
The Latest: Jones’ claim
Jones believes Conte still wants to add a creative playmaker to his Lilywhites squad and that Maddison has the attacking skill-set to fill the void left by N17 cult-hero Eriksen.
Speaking with GiveMeSport, the journalist claimed:
“That’d be really interesting. I think Maddison could be an Eriksen-type figure in that Spurs set-up with his ability to conduct play from deep, but also progress the ball and deliver from wide areas, something that I think would be a big help to this team.”
[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-3/" title="Tottenham latest news!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]
The Verdict: Brilliant signing
Despite the Foxes’ struggling start to the new Premier League season, Maddison has been a bright spark in Brendan Rodgers’ side, showing he has the ability to run the show as a playmaker in the English top-flight.
As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the 25-year-old ranks in the 96th percentile for non-penalty goals and in the 88th percentile for assists, providing a serious threat that could accompany that provided by Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.
Having been hailed ‘world-class’ by England manager Gareth Southgate for his set-piece delivery, Maddison has all the skills needed to fulfil the midfield void left by the Denmark international in north London. Quite simply, he could be a brilliant addition to Conte’s Lilywhites squad.