Spurs could already replace Maddison by sealing “beautiful” £60m signing
The incredible talent could relegate the Englishman to the bench after just one season in North London.
As first seasons go, Ange Postecoglou has had a reasonably good one with Tottenham Hotspur this year, leading them to Europa League qualification and a fifth-place finish in the Premier League.
The Australian has had to cope without Harry Kane and integrate several summer signings, such as Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, and James Maddison, into the team.
Most of the club’s new recruits have adapted to life in N17 well, although the Englishman had a lacklustre second half to the campaign – racking up just five goal involvements in 17 games – which, based on recent reports, could cost him.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Spurs are keen to bring Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze north of the river this summer and are prepared to compete with Chelsea to make it happen.
The report has revealed that while a transfer to either London club is possible, the Eagles won’t allow him to leave unless offers of £60m or above are made.
To complicate things further for the Lilywhites, the report has also claimed that Manchester City are currently deciding whether they want to join the race as well, although they would be behind both London clubs as things stand.
It would be a challenging transfer to pull off, but Eze is a player well worth fighting for, even if it puts Maddison’s place in danger.
How Eze compares to Maddison
Now, if Spurs get their way and convince the “beautiful” Eze, as described by former coach Paul Hall, that they’re the more attractive project at the moment – which shouldn’t be too difficult, all things considered – then Maddison would be the player most at risk of losing their place in the starting lineup.
This is mainly because the Palace ace has started 17 of his 31 appearances in the attacking midfield position this season.
The former Queens Park Rangers star’s output of 11 goals and six assists in those 31 games is far better than the former Foxes man’s four goals and nine assists in 30 games, but the advantage is even more significant when you take a look at what’s going on under the hood.
For example, when looking at the pair’s underlying numbers, the “fantastic” Eagles ace, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, produces a higher non-penalty expected goal and assists figure, more progressive carries, more shots and shots on target, block, tackles and interceptions, more ball recoveries, and succeeds in more take-ons – and that’s just the surface, all per 90.
In his defence, the Coventry-born Spurs midfielder produces more progressive passes and shot-creating actions while providing more actual assists, but that is about it.
Moreover, you would usually be able to hold the Greenwich-born dynamo’s injury record against him in a comparison with another player, but Maddison has missed 46 games since the start of the 2020/21 season, while his potential replacement has missed 31.
Ultimately, it will be an expensive and challenging transfer to complete, but if Levy wants Postecoglou to thrive in North London, handing him a player like Eze is a great way to see that happen.
