When the time came to dust himself down and forget the torment of Leicester’s relegation, James Maddison had a clear idea of where he might fit in next. “I could see myself playing for Spurs,” he says, thinking back to those early discussions about how to continue his top-level career.
“There’s a little window for me at Tottenham, a creative player they’ve always had, but maybe not had in recent years. I could definitely see myself playing for Tottenham in that kit, in that stadium, being the creative player I know I can be.”
Maddison got his wish at the end of June and as Spurs search for a new hero the timing of his competitive debut appears apt. If their supporters are tempted to treat the trip to Brentford as a wake for the Harry Kane era, it is hardly an outlandish thought that Maddison will provide a happy distraction. At his best there are few more watchable talents in the top flight and even if his new employers have lost a talisman they have gained an attacking midfielder who should enliven a team that lumbered through large chunks of last season.
It helps that his freewheeling style fits the forward-thinking vision of Ange Postecoglou, whose appointment preceded Maddison’s arrival by three weeks. “It made my decision a lot easier,” he says of the plan Postecoglou laid out. “That’s why he’s at Tottenham as well, because of how he likes to play. It suits Tottenham and maybe it’s what they lacked a little bit with recent managers. The quality is there to be an attacking team, the players are there to do it.”
Maddison, who is speaking at the TNT Sports start of season event in London, knows what it is like to work for a manager who lets his creative juices run free. The majority of his four years under Brendan Rodgers were spent fruitfully and, even in the unfolding agony of last season, 10 Premier League goals in 30 games was a noteworthy return. The way everything ended hurt badly: while he has bounced into life at Spurs there was a healing process to undergo first, mourning the fate of a Leicester team that should have had no business going down.
“It was very difficult,” he says. “I had to say to my agent after the season finished, ‘I don’t want to talk about anything’ – that it was too soon. I’m not just saying it as a cliche, I was devastated we went down. It was a real hit to the whole team, the whole squad, and we had such a good feel at Leicester.
“You realise relegation means people lose jobs and when you think about it like that, and it’s down to us players on the pitch, it can hit home. That’s the type of person I am, a quite emotional person. It did hit me and it was hard.
“But you’ve got to dust yourself down and look forward and when opportunities like this come calling it’s not one you can say no to. So onwards and upwards, blinkers on, the hunger and motivation are back to do well and prove to everyone why I’ve signed.”
England duty helped him to reset. Maddison’s lengthy absence from the fold was a point of contention before Qatar 2022 but he is back in favour with Gareth Southgate and started in the win over Malta in June. “The good thing was we had international games to try and take my mind off [relegation],” he says.
“After two great results it refreshes some good feelings a bit. Then the process has to start, I can’t sulk in my bedroom with my phone off for months. It can take a while and every player is different but the best thing to do is play footy, and the international camp was perfect for that.”
There had been long-term interest from Tottenham and it later transpired in a conversation between the pair that Daniel Levy, the notoriously hard bargainer, had a soft spot for his skills. Now Maddison wants to stamp his mark on a new environment and while Kane’s goalscoring boots need filling by somebody he has another silk-footed playmaker in mind when considering club heroes from the past. Christian Eriksen is somebody he would happily emulate; the Dane’s departure in 2020 left a gap nobody has filled.
“I used to watch him when I was a little bit younger, making my way in the game,” he says. “As my career developed and he was still at Tottenham, [I was] playing against him, swapping shirts with him, telling him what I thought of him as a player, him being such a nice guy in response to that. He was definitely someone I looked at, especially when I was in that teenage phase of watching players in my position at the top of their game.”
Maddison turns 27 in November. He is no longer the awestruck tyro and this feels like an ideal time – and arguably a necessary one in career terms – to prove he can stand out at a club that envisage themselves as among the contenders for the top four. The pressure of being Spurs’ creative hub will, he believes, bring his best football yet.
“I’ve always had strong self-belief and I’ll always back my own ability to succeed,” he says. “It hasn’t failed me so far so I’ll continue to have that mindset. I just saw myself playing at Tottenham and I can’t wait to get going. If you go to any new place you have that buzz to show people you’re at the top level in what you do. Hopefully, I’ll slot in nicely.”
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