Brendan Rodgers makes James Maddison admission amid Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal transfer interest
According to Football.London, Brendan Rodgers has admitted that Leicester City midfielder James Maddison has been linked with a number of clubs, ‘amid interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
The Lilywhites wanted to sign a playmaker this summer and had Maddison, Christian Eriksen, and Jesse Lingard on their shortlist. The 25-year-old star’s £70million price tag turned off Spurs, while Eriksen joined Manchester United and Lingard, Nottingham Forest – both on free transfers.
However, the Northern Irish manager in charge at Leicester expects there to be interest in Maddison once again. Speaking ahead of his team’s devastating 2-1 Premier League loss against Bournemouth yesterday (October 8), Rodgers said:
“I would think (there would be interest). My job is to coach him every day and make him the best he can be. It’s only natural you want your absolute best players to be here, and we keep saying that, but we keep losing them. He’s never a player you would want to lose.”
Rodgers lost arguably his most promising defender in Wesley Fofana this summer, who joined Chelsea. The former Liverpool manager then went on to praise the midfielder for being mentally strong and not being affected by the transfer links and constant snubs by the England national team.
“The beauty of James [Maddison], and it’s the same with this England scenario, is that it hasn’t affected him. That’s where you see the level of maturity…”
“…James has been linked with loads of clubs. But he’s a realist. He also knows he’s in a good place to develop and learn…”
It’s not wrong to suggest that the player could have the spotlight shine a bit brighter on him with regards to the Three Lions set-up if plays regularly for a big-six team. Only Harry Kane had more goal contributions as an Englishman last season than Maddison.
The talent is there for all to see with the Foxes midfielder. His team are currently in a rut, with just four points from nine league games. Whether he stays to help them rebuild or leaves for greener pastures in the future remains to be seen.
More Tottenham News:
- Transfer News: Tottenham Hotspur could make January offer for Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic
- Transfer News: AC Milan join Tottenham in the race to sign Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah
- Ryan Sessegnon pays tribute to Gian Piero Ventrone after emotional Tottenham Hotspur win vs Brighton
Spurs could do with a creative outlet in their midfield which often feels too defence-oriented. However, that is perhaps how it is supposed to be, with Conte’s full-backs visibly doing most of the creative work to support the front three (or front two, as seen against Brighton).
