Arsenal? Liverpool? Tottenham? Where next for Leicester star James Maddison
James Maddison may not have scored or assisted in England’s win over Ukraine but he certainly caught the eye.
It was his first start for the Three Lions and his first appearance for Gareth Southgate’s side since his cameo off the bench in the 7-0 victory against Montenegro back in November 2019.
The Leicester City attacker was deployed on the left of a front three and he played five key passes as England made it two wins from two to kick off their Euro 2024 qualification campaign.
Maddison has been around the England squad for a while now, even going to the World Cup. There had been calls for him to get game time for the Three Lions and he finally got the nod after Jack Grealish’s underwhelming performance against Italy.
In his post-match interview, Southgate praised Maddison: "We were always going to start James Maddison. He's been playing really well for his club so we had no doubt he would fit in. His use of the ball was excellent."
He is by no means undroppable now but he did put in a performance that definitely gave Southgate something to think about. No player made more key passes in the match against Ukraine and only Jude Bellingham completed more dribbles. The 26-year-old looked at home in what was a fairly strong England team.
The former Norwich City playmaker has been one of the most productive midfielders in the Premier League since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, even though he’s been playing for an inconsistent Leicester City side.
Maddison has 21 goals and 14 assists over the past two seasons. This term, he’s involved himself in 15 goals, six of which were assists, in just 1,636 minutes. His return is even more impressive when you consider he’s played a variety of roles for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The one-time Coventry City player has been used on the right side of attack, as a second striker, in midfield and, at times, on the left. He’s also been part of a Leicester team that has changed its formation, tactics and system on a number of occasions.
His WhoScored average rating of 7.30 this season is comfortably the highest within the Leicester team. In fact, he’s the only player for the Foxes to average over 7.00 this term, really highlighting how he’s been a level above his teammates.
It is little surprise that the 2015/16 Premier League champions want to extend Maddison’s stay at the King Power Stadium.
The club have reportedly held talks with the midfield playmaker but a deal is yet to be struck. He will have just 12 months remaining on his current deal when this season comes to an end and a number of clubs are looking to exploit this situation.
Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool are all believed to be interested in Maddison.
Liverpool have had a long-standing interest in the middle-third maestro and were linked with him during his Carrow Road days. Arsenal are believed to have wanted Maddison during the summer of 2021 before deciding to sign Martin Odegaard on a permanent basis while Spurs have been linked with the Leicester No. 10 for the past couple of transfer windows.
Newcastle’s interest in Maddison is recent as they look to piece together a squad with depth and quality while Manchester City have seemingly spotted an opportunity to bolster their attacking options with another English talent.
Maddison has a difficult decision to make this summer. He might want to play Champions League football as such a move would no doubt help him get into Southgate’s England squad on a more regular basis but moving to a Champions League-level team may impact his playing minutes.
He’s a guaranteed starter for Leicester and that wouldn’t be the case elsewhere. Just look at what has happened to Kalvin Phillips at City this season. Injuries haven’t helped but even when available he’s struggled to get minutes for the reigning Premier League champions. He went from being viewed as a key figure for England to being something of an afterthought with Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Jordan Henderson striking up quite an impressive understanding in a new-look midfield unit.
Having missed out on international football for some long, Maddison won’t want to be an afterthought at a big club. His decision this summer may not make or break his career but it will certainly shape it. Get it wrong and he could fade away into obscurity just as it appeared as though he was on the precipice of stepping up.
