Tottenham Hotspur have officially announced the signing of Leicester City midfielder James Maddison after agreeing a £40m fee with the Foxes.
The England international becomes Ange Postecoglou’s second new signing after the arrival of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli.
Maddison impressed with Leicester last season but was unable to prevent their relegation. Now, he is set to make an instant return to the Premier League.
Last term, the attacking midfielder made 30 Premier League appearances for the Foxes. In the process, he scored 10 goals and made nine assists.
It wasn’t always clear that Tottenham would win the race for Maddison. Indeed, Newcastle United were also very interested in signing him this summer.
However, it is the London club who have come out on top after agreeing a £40m deal with Leicester – which several pundits have already deemed to be a bargain.
Now, Postecoglou will hope that Maddison can help Spurs climb the table after a disappointing 2022/23 campaign saw them finish in eighth place.
As confirmed on Tottenham’s official website, Maddison has signed a contract valid until 2028.
He parts ways with Leicester after a rollercoaster period in the club’s history. In 2021, the attacker helped the team to FA Cup victory – the first time the Foxes had won that competition in their history.
However, as mentioned, he was unable to prevent them from being relegated last season.
Overall, Maddison made 203 appearances for Leicester. In the process, he scored 55 goals and made 41 assists.
Now, with his switch to Tottenham sealed, Postecoglou will turn his attention to strengthening other areas of his squad.
The manager’s priority, at the moment, seems to be his defence. That’s understandable, given Spurs conceded 63 goals in the Premier League last term – the sixth-worst defensive record in the division.
As a result, Postecoglou wants to bring in at least one new centre-back. Top of his list currently is Wolfsburg star Micky van de Ven.
Although, Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba and Juventus’ Gleison Bremer are also on his shortlist.
Perhaps even more important than that, though, is that Tottenham keep hold of Harry Kane.
Bayern Munich are pushing hard to sign Kane this summer, but so far Spurs have remained firm on their £100m valuation.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Maddison will be playing alongside his England teammate next season.
