Pundit urges Tottenham not to repeat Jack Grealish ‘mistake’ and sign James Maddison
Pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has urged Tottenham Hotspur to avoid making the same mistake they did when pursuing Jack Grealish and sign Leicester City’s James Maddison.
According to the former Aston Villa forward, Spurs tried to bring down Grealish’s price tag and failed to sign him before Manchester City snapped him up for a massive £100million transfer fee in 2021. Spurs seemed interested in signing the English winger but missed out.
Agbonlahor told Football Insider:
“They tried to save money and get his price down, and they missed out. Maddison is exactly what they need. They could change the way they play entirely and go to a 4-3-3. It’d be perfect.
He added:
“But they’ll have competition. Newcastle will be there with £55million if Tottenham offer £50million. They might be in the Champions League, and Tottenham look like they won’t be. If I’m Maddison I would choose Newcastle – because Tottenham are shaky, and Newcastle are a club on the up.”
Spurs and Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Maddison, who is currently playing for a Leicester City team struggling to survive in the Premier League. There is a real chance they can get relegated as they sit 19th in the table after 30 games.
The 26-year-old’s contract expires in the summer of 2024 and Leicester could feel the pressure to sell him before he could leave as a free agent. If they are relegated, one can hope that Spurs, or any other team’s chances of signing him, increase.
Maddison would bring a lot of creativity to our midfield which is largely bland and focussed more on defence – at least it was under Antonio Conte. Newcastle, backed by their uber-rich new owners, are seen as a club on the up.
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Despite a short time since their takeover, they are already in the top four and on their way to finishing in the top four. With more investment in the future under manager Eddie Howe, they can become a real force and that is exactly why Spurs have to make sure they sign Maddison ahead of them – to avoid them from strengthening and to ensure they are placed well to fend off competition from the Magpies for the ‘big six’ title in the future.
