Tottenham Hotspur announced the hiring of Ange Postecoglou just over a year and a half ago, and since then, a lot has changed.
The North Londoners have gone from playing mind-numbingly boring football to being one of the most entertaining teams in Europe and, perhaps just as significant, sold the legendary Harry Kane.
However, while there have been some notable exits since the Australian took charge, there have also been some big signings as well, such as Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke and James Maddison.
The latter of those three has endured a mixed time in the capital thus far, and while he’s capable of producing some moments of magic, it might be worth looking for a rival, or even upgrade, and fortunately, the club have already been linked to just the player.
Maddison's Spurs career
Spurs signed Maddison from a recently relegated Leicester City in the summer of 2023 for about £40m, and while he was part of a team that went down, it certainly wasn’t on him.
In that final campaign with the Foxes, he managed to rack up an impressive tally of ten goals and nine assists in 32 appearances, so his move to N17 was more than justified.
In fact, the Coventry-born maestro hit the ground running in North London and racked up three goals and five assists in his first ten league games for the team, playing a significant role in Postecoglou’s sensational start to life in England.
However, in the 11th game against Chelsea, he picked up an injury that saw him sidelined until late January, and when he came back, he was significantly less effective.
For example, in his final 17 league appearances, the 28-year-old scored a single goal and provided just four assists, which also played a role in the team’s slide down the table.
This season has been mixed for the Englishman, as while he has been sublime at moments and has a healthy tally of eight goals and five assists, he’s found himself out of the team on more than a handful of occasions, suggesting that his place in the squad is less than assured.
So, if the former Leicester City star cannot be relied upon to regularly produce and has found himself out of the starting lineup several times already this season, it might make sense for Spurs to look for an upgrade in the market and the good news on that front, is that they have already been linked with one in the last month or so.
The Serie A star who could replace Maddison
To get straight to the point, the player in question is AC Milan star Tijjani Reijnders, who was linked with a potential £50m move to Spurs last month, and while that sounds like a lot of money, it would be money well spent.
For example, despite playing slightly deeper than Maddison at the moment, the Dutch international’s output has been almost as good this season.
He has scored nine goals and provided three assists in 25 games, and were he moved slightly further up the pitch, we wouldn’t be surprised to see those numbers get even better.
However, to understand why analyst Ben Mattinson described the 26-year-old as one of the “top five midfielders this season”, we need to look at his underlying numbers.
According to FBref, which compares players across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, the Milan star sits in the top 1% of midfielders for carries into the final third and passes blocked, the top 3% for successful take-ons, the top 4% for non-penalty goals and shots on target, the top 5% for carries into the penalty area and more, all per 90.
Passes Blocked
0.29
Top 1%
Carries into Final Third
2.99
Top 1%
Progressive Carries
2.91
Top 3%
Successful Take-Ons
0.34
Top 3%
Non-Penalty Goals
0.26
Top 4%
Shots on Target
0.74
Top 4%
Goals
0.26
Top 5%
Carries into Penalty Area
0.58
Top 5%
Pass Completion %
90.5%
Top 6%
Furthermore, it’s not just at the club level that the “world-class” midfielder, dubbed by commentator Matteo Bonetti, is thriving, as he’s now won 20 caps for the Netherlands and made it to the semi-finals of the European Championships before going out at the hands of England.
Ultimately, Maddison is an incredibly talented footballer, but he tailed off towards the end of last season, and this year, he seems unable to hold down a place in the team.
Therefore, it makes sense to sign an upgrade this year, and while he will cost a pretty penny, Reijnders seems like a brilliant option.
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The experienced midfielder would be an excellent addition for Spurs.
1 ByJack Salveson HolmesJan 10, 2025
