James Maddison could be the ideal replacement for Christian Eriksen at Tottenham Hotspur, according to Noel Whelan.
Eriksen’s future at Spurs remains in doubt, with the Danish international’s contract set to expire at the end of the current season, meaning he could walk away for free.
If that does happen, it would be a huge loss for Mauricio Pochettino, with the 27-year-old one of his star players and certainly the most creative – with Eriksen involved in 27 goals in all competitions last season.
It would also mean that they would need to find a replacement, although it could be difficult bringing in someone of the same calibre as the Dane. However, former Leeds United striker Whelan believes that Leicester City’s Maddison would be a worthwhile successor.
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said: “James Maddison is good enough to replace Eriksen, absolutely. I saw him when he was breaking through at Coventry and Norwich, and he is a great player.
“He’s now part of the England setup and you can see why – he’s technically excellent, quick-thinking, has a great passing range and hurts teams with his creativity.
“He’s a real gem who would be the perfect Eriksen replacement. The problem for Tottenham is there will be plenty of competition for his signature. You can see Liverpool, Man City, all the big boys wanting him.”
While Eriksen’s future hangs in the balance, Whelan certainly has a point when he highlights Maddison as a potential replacement.
The 22-year-old has made an outstanding start to life in the Premier League since joining Leicester in the summer of 2018. In his first year with the club, he scored seven league goals, just one fewer than the more experienced Eriksen, and also managed to provide seven assists.
He has started this season well too, and is in fact currently outperforming Eriksen in many areas. Maddison has scored one goal and assisted twice so far this term, compared to the Dane’s single goal and zero assists.
Added to that, he is also averaging 3.3 shots per league game versus the former Ajax man’s 1.7, and is slightly ahead in terms of key passes per game at 1.8 v 1.7 (via WhoScored).
In short, Maddison does look like a strong candidate to replace Eriksen. His creative stats in the Premier League are already impressive, and he is at a young enough age to develop even further.
Signing him will be easier said than done though, as Spurs are likely to face competition for his signature with Manchester United also thought to be keen on the former Norwich and Coventry City man.
Spurs fans, would you like to see Maddison come in for Eriksen? Let us know by entering your thoughts below!
