Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour believes Tottenham Hotspur did a brilliant job signing James Maddison in the summer transfer window.
Spurs bought the England international for £40 million this summer from Leicester City, who were relegated from the Premier League after finishing 18th in the table last time out.
Despite Leicester’s struggles last season, Maddison was one of the standout players for the Foxes, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists in the English top flight (TransferMarkt).
Therefore, it was not a surprise to see Tottenham pursuing the 26-year-old’s signature and the North London side arguably got one of the bargains of the recent transfer windows.
Maddison has seamlessly integrated into Ange Postecoglou’s plans with the Lilywhites and has become one of Spurs’ talismans alongside Son Heung-min in the current campaign.
Ray Parlour sings the praises of James Maddison
The England international has done so well that even an ex-Arsenal player who spent 12 years with the Gunners has had to set aside the rivalry with Tottenham, and when asked who the best signing of the summer, Parlour told Mighty Tips:
“For me, and I’m going by the money as well, for what they paid for him, one is certainly James Maddison.
“I think Spurs have got a real gem on their hands now, I’m really pleased he’s back in the England squad.
“I like players like him because he’s not always strait-laced, some people are ticking the boxes now, but I want to see flair players and players doing something different, so I think James Maddison will really be a big star at Tottenham, I certainly believe that.”
Tottenham had not been at their best in recent campaigns under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte, who set up the team to play defensively rather than on the front foot.
However, Postecoglou, who had to drastically change the North London side’s tactics after Harry Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich, has flipped the culture at Spurs and now has the North London side playing free-flowing, attacking football.
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Maddison’s impact at the club has been almost imminent, becoming one of the fan favourites at Tottenham in a short span of time.
Considering the money spent on players like Moises Caicedo, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount this summer, Spurs have seemingly underpaid for the former Leicester star.
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