Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed a conversation with Newcastle United target James Maddison prior to his transfer confirmed he was the 'right type' to recruit. The Magpies failed with two bids for the England international last summer, and the attacking midfielder has returned to the Premier League this summer following Leicester City's relegation.
Maddison had entered the final year of his contract at the King Power Stadium, but the finances required for both a transfer fee and in terms of wages meant Newcastle did not follow up with their interest. The 26-year-old was unveiled shortly after Tottenham announced the signing of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, and Postecoglou has spoken on the pair and why their desires to 'improve' were critical to their moves.
Postecoglou said: “I look at players we need and more importantly, the kind of people we need. To me, that’s really important - it’s not just about the talent they bring as footballers, but what they bring as people as well, because we are going to play football that requires a certain kind of personality and character, and both those guys have that in abundance.
“I could hear it in their voices when I spoke to them. I had a couple of chats with them before we signed them, and I knew they were the right types to bring into the dressing room.
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“Aside from the qualities they have as footballers, both have attributes I look for in their positions, and both are really keen to take their football to another level. It’s not like they’re coming here and relying on what they’ve done so far, they both believe their best football is ahead of them and want to improve, and that’s great, it’s exactly what I want to hear.
“As I said, they are both really excited about coming to our football club, which is also very important. For footballers these days, all these decisions are really important. For me, part of the driver is if I can see in them that this is their preferred destination for the right reasons, that’s enormous. I could sense with both of those guys that was the case.”
