“When I was at Leicester..” – James Maddison makes Foxes claim in comparison to Tottenham
The playmaker, whose contract at the King Power Stadium had just one year remaining, moved to North London on a five-year agreement, costing his new employers £40 million.
Since joining Leicester from Championship team Norwich City in the summer of 2018, Maddison has been a crucial part of the team’s creativity. Despite the team’s obvious struggles, the England international scored ten goals and assisted nine more in 30 appearances as the Foxes, along with Leeds United and Southampton, were relegated.
No one could dispute that Maddison had earned a way out to bigger and better things because he also scored double digits the season before. He joined a long list of players who left Leicestershire because he was never realistically going to stick it out and develop in the second tier of English football.
Mind you, he hasn’t forgotten about Leicester yet, as he just addressed them in a revelation on the start of the 2023–24 Premier League season for Spurs under Ange Postecogolou.
What has Tottenham’s James Maddison said about former club Leicester City?
Maddison said, when asked about his first few days at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, “We’re so early into the manager’s reign, we’re at the start.
Even during training, the messages he gives us are occasionally still fresh, and we are still working on them. We haven’t even been here three years.
When you’ve known a manager for a while, as when I was at Leicester working with Brendan Rodgers, you get to know what he expects of you.
“Before we’d even trained or worked on it, I’d know who we were playing at the weekend and have a general concept of my role. You achieve that alliance and connection.
“We’re so early in that; it’s just getting started. Not getting carried away is the point.
Naturally, it’s preferable to be at that end as opposed to the other. I know because I’ve done both.
“I just want to continue that, continue working and that will leave us where it leaves us.”
How has James Maddison performed for Tottenham after his transfer from Leicester City?
Maddison has so far put up some dazzling performances for Postecogolou’s revamped side, proving why he was worthy of a significant step-up.
In the recent 2-2 thriller against North London rivals Arsenal, he played his preferred attacking midfield position right behind the striker and formed a brilliant relationship with captain Heung-Min Son. He also assisted both of the South Korean’s goals.
With five assists and two goals in eight games, Maddison has been one of the Premier League’s greatest players overall and unquestionably the best summer signing.
Where are Leicester City in the Championship?
Despite Maddison’s undeniable talent, the East Midlands team hasn’t missed him all that much as they have dominated the Championship.
They have already gotten off to the best start in a Championship season in league history, and they’re not slowing down either.
| Championship Table (As it stands w/c October 9th) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City | 11 | 17 | 30 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town | 11 | 12 | 28 |
| 3 | Preston North End | 11 | -2 | 20 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 11 | 8 | 19 |
| 5 | Leeds United | 11 | 6 | 19 |
| 6 | Birmingham City | 11 | 4 | 18 |
| 7 | Norwich City | 11 | 2 | 17 |
| 8 | Cardiff City | 11 | 2 | 17 |
Who has replaced James Maddison at Leicester City following his Tottenham transfer?
It would have been simple for Enzo Maresca to exercise the Foxes’ financial muscle in the transfer market by spending big money on a new attacking midfielder to take Maddison’s place. Instead, he found a solution from within by giving Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall new responsibilities, and doing so has been crucial to Leicester’s dominant early-season form.
Dewsbury-Hall had become accustomed to playing in a deeper midfield position, but Maresca decided to play him farther forward in front of the holding midfield pair, which was undoubtedly the right decision.
