James Maddison has become the second senior signing made by Tottenham this summer. Daniel Levy will be wanting to give Ange Postecoglou everything he needs in order to get Spurs back into the Champions League. That is the competition that they need to be in to continue their progression. This is a statement of intent, as Maddison has been one of the best players outside of the top six for a number of years. Newcastle United were also credited with an interest, which makes the signing even more sweet for supporters.
During the last two Premier League seasons, Maddison has a total of 39 goal contributions, split between 22 goals and 17 assists. The former Leicester City midfielder carries a dual threat in the final third, as he is capable of scoring and creating opportunities for his side. There are no guarantees that any signing will be a success, but Maddison is as close as you can get to one in the Premier League.
Despite Leicester’s relegation, Maddison continued to perform to a high standard and remained as one of the most consistent attackers in the league. If he had avoided a couple of niggly injuries, the Foxes may have avoided the drop.
An average of 3.01 shots and 5.01 shot creating actions underline how active he is in the final third. These rank in the 88th and 87th percentiles respectively. To be this productive in a relegated team underlines the talent of Maddison.
The quality of his end product is clear too. Maddison averages 0.24 non-penalty expected goals (npxG) and scores at a rate of 0.33 goals per ninety minutes. He is scoring better than expected based on the quality of his chances. As he shoots a lot from range, the quality of his chances can be small, but his quality of strike adds value to the chance.
In terms of his creativity, he averages 0.34 expected assisted goals (xAG) per ninety minutes. He ran at an average of 0.33 assists per ninety minutes, showing that he performed as expected. His xAG average ranks him in the 94th percentile when compared to other attacking midfielders. In a better team, this could increase further.
One of the big appealing factors with this move would be the opportunity to link up with Harry Kane. Sometimes, the Leicester forwards wasted chances created by Maddison. No game sums this up better than the 0-1 defeat to Southampton. The England international was class on that occasion, creating four chances, two of which were classed as big chances. The wasteful finishing meant the Foxes lost the game. In hindsight, this was a big blow to their survival hopes.
Kane is one of the best finishers in the league. The potential of that partnership on the pitch should whet the appetite of Tottenham supporters. If they strike up a good relationship, it will not harm Maddison’s England chances.
There are a lot of unknowns about where Maddison will fit in. It is expected that Postecoglou will line up in a 4-3-3 formation and there will be high physical requirements that the players need to meet. This will take some time to adapt for the midfielder, as he isn’t best known for his off the ball work.
However, an average of 1.85 tackles per ninety minutes show that Maddison can get stuck in. Throughout his career, he has always been a keen learner. This is an opportunity for him to prove himself at the highest level.
It is difficult not to get excited about this signing. Maddison has been excellent for a number of years now and is as close as you can get to a guarantee in the Premier League. It is a great addition to the Tottenham attack.
