Player Watch Player Watch: James Maddison

[Scot-Spur]

Have seen us linked with Scott to be fair but yeah I think it's a Gallardo type wish


I was thinking about how it's a typical message board type view but I have this wish for us to go down the young hungry up and comer route this window and not established star. So yeah the two you mentioned get my vote for that I'll informed opinion of mine.

We have been linked with both between January and now.

Also an ITK on a certain social media platform mentioned our attacking midfield targets were - Maddison, Scott, Kang In and Gibbs white.

 

[Albertbarich]

We have been linked with both between January and now.

Also an ITK on a certain social media platform mentioned our attacking midfield targets were - Maddison, Scott, Kang In and Gibbs white.

I'd be over the moon with the last three.

 

[S17PUR]

Yeah might as well move onto other targets. If both us and Newcastle had finished top 4 I reckon he would come to us but with no European football there is little incentive for him to choose us above them.

Not responding to you specifically but rather this notion I'm seeing a lot now that we're suddenly a significantly worse option than Newcastle for every player.

Yes, they have Champions League football next season and have a boat load of cash (not that they can necessarily spend much more than us if at all), but that's pretty much it, isn't it?

It's very easy to envisage a scenario where they go backwards again next season, as lots of teams underperformed last year that you'd think will improve, they'll have European football to contend with too, and if they do add to the squad it might upset the balance/team spirit.

Then there's the fact that we're a bigger club than Newcastle, we've been more successful than them for a sustained period of time, we've got one of the world's best players and England captain (for now at least), and the world's best stadium and training facilities. We're also in London which is massively more appealing to live in for foreign players in particular than Newcastle.

It's very easy to be down on Spurs at the moment, but we've not become minnows overnight.

 

[Timberwolf]

Newcastle can now offer higher wages? Even with cl, that isn't feasible, unless they set up more dodgy sponsorship deals.

Honestly don't know but I doubt Guimaraes, Trippier, Isak and co went there for the brown ale.

They must be offering a lot and can probably offer more with the CL money.

 

[SixtyFour]

It's very easy to be down on Spurs at the moment, but we've not become minnows overnight.

No, we haven’t - but Newcastle have become (clutches for big-fish analogy) whales.

They are the richest team in the league. Qualifying for the champions league and winning stuff will become normal for them.
It’s no bad reflection on us and we still have a chance with Madison if that is who AP wants. Wish we had got him from Norwich in the first place - seemed like a bit if a no brainer at the time.

 

[Japhet]

Given our definitive frailties (worst defence we've had in the league since 1993 and that was a 42 game season), I'd be inclined to agree but we have no real ball playing midfielders unless those on loan come back and are totally transformed. The possession based football combined with a high press in Ange's teams contribute to a less leaky defence.

I think we at least have options as ball playing midfielders in Kulusevski and possibly Devine. GLC might fit the bill too. Other cheaper targets than Maddison have also been suggested. In defence though, we have no options. The fact that Sanchez is about the only possible partner for Romero with enough pace says it all. As you say, high press puts pressure on the defence in a different way where pace is essential.

 

[Now it's Spursonal]

Mentioned this already, but just going to go over it in a bit more detail.

I actually don’t think that Newcastle are going to rival us for Maddison at all, and this news is only being pushed by Leicester to try and drive up a bid from us for him.

It was widely accepted in Newcastle that they’d drawn up three transfer shortlists based off where they finished in the league.
Group A for if they finished top 4, group B for top 6, group C outside Europe.

Throughout the season they were then getting linked to Maddison, and the rumours were that they were constantly talking to him.
However, as the season drew on and it started to look clear that Newcastle could finish top 4, the talks started to come out that Newcastle were heavily targeting Dominik Szobozlai.

So I personally believe that Maddison was in Newcastle’s group B, but now they’ve moved on to Szobozlai who’s in their group A.

This should leave us a relatively free run at Maddison and hopefully means we can get the price down quite a bit from the purported £50m

 

[Timberwolf]

Just to clarify my post wasn't meant to be some doomster take on how far we've fallen, more just an objective take on where Maddison is likely to end up.

Taking off the Spurs-tinted spectacles, if you have a choice between 2 clubs and one has CL football and offers (I suspect) more money, you're probably going to go there. Unless Maddison really wants to come to London, Ange sells him a dream or Newcastle decide to go for someone else, I don't see why he picks Spurs over them this summer.

It's similar to how we got Bissouma over Arsenal last summer - he would've gone to the Arse if they'd got CL football over us.

 

[IfiHadTheWings]

Honestly don't know but I doubt Guimaraes, Trippier, Isak and co went there for the brown ale.

They must be offering a lot and can probably offer more with the CL money.

Trippier said on that high performance podcast that he signed for less than he was on at Atletico Madrid.

He said that he needed to come back to England for personal reasons and took less money.

Interesting listen if anybody can be arsed.

 

[carpediem991]

Mentioned this already, but just going to go over it in a bit more detail.

I actually don’t think that Newcastle are going to rival us for Maddison at all, and this news is only being pushed by Leicester to try and drive up a bid from us for him.

It was widely accepted in Newcastle that they’d drawn up three transfer shortlists based off where they finished in the league.
Group A for if they finished top 4, group B for top 6, group C outside Europe.

Throughout the season they were then getting linked to Maddison, and the rumours were that they were constantly talking to him.
However, as the season drew on and it started to look clear that Newcastle could finish top 4, the talks started to come out that Newcastle were heavily targeting Dominik Szobozlai.

So I personally believe that Maddison was in Newcastle’s group B, but now they’ve moved on to Szobozlai who’s in their group A.

This should leave us a relatively free run at Maddison and hopefully means we can get the price down quite a bit from the purported £50m

Where is the optimistic rating?

Don't underestimate the HG factor. Its a plus for any top side if you can fill an empty spot with a HG candidate. Not sure why exactly Leipzig, a club that does not need to sell at all, should sell Szoboszlai, who nearly featured in every game this season.

 

[worcestersauce]

If they're asking £50m I'd hope to do a deal a little under but nevertheless it does seem doable given that we went way past that figure for both Lo Celso and Ndombele.

 

[chas vs dave]

No, we haven’t - but Newcastle have become (clutches for big-fish analogy) whales.

They are the richest team in the league. Qualifying for the champions league and winning stuff will become normal for them.
It’s no bad reflection on us and we still have a chance with Madison if that is who AP wants. Wish we had got him from Norwich in the first place - seemed like a bit if a no brainer at the time.

Newcastle owners are the richest, not Newcastle. Who's annual turnover was at 179m per annum.

Ours is at 445m. They cannot get enough dodgy sponsorship deals to make the difference up.

I would add, that 445m was without CL football.

 

[SirHarryHotspur]

Not responding to you specifically but rather this notion I'm seeing a lot now that we're suddenly a significantly worse option than Newcastle for every player.

Yes, they have Champions League football next season and have a boat load of cash (not that they can necessarily spend much more than us if at all), but that's pretty much it, isn't it?

It's very easy to envisage a scenario where they go backwards again next season, as lots of teams underperformed last year that you'd think will improve, they'll have European football to contend with too, and if they do add to the squad it might upset the balance/team spirit.

Then there's the fact that we're a bigger club than Newcastle, we've been more successful than them for a sustained period of time, we've got one of the world's best players and England captain (for now at least), and the world's best stadium and training facilities. We're also in London which is massively more appealing to live in for foreign players in particular than Newcastle.

It's very easy to be down on Spurs at the moment, but we've not become minnows overnight.

Unless there is a huge injection of cash at Newcastle don't see how they are sustainable, their wage/revenue ratio is 95%.
Their revenue is way below Spurs , even without Euro football for a season we can still earn more than they do but we will need to get back in to sustain our future income.

Find & click on Newcastle in the money league to find their figures.

Deloitte Football Money League 2024

The 27th edition of the Deloitte Football Money League profiles the highest revenue generating clubs in world football over the 2022/23 season.

www2.deloitte.com

 

[wrd]

If he goes to Newcastle then it is what it is, the club will have to come to terms with the fact it failed to establish itself when the opportunity arose and now they're clubs who are making haste as the sun shines and despite our long standing history in the food chain, they might be perceived higher. Do what can be done if this is who the manager wants but let's not feel sorry for ourselves if it doesn't happen, let's find solutions.

 

[Nick-TopSpursMan]

We need to look past the quality a player may have and ask the question, do they also have the intensity and work rate to play in a high energy, high pressing system?

Go and watch back some Celtic games, even in the CL. There’s no way Maddison can play with that intensity imo, he’s too lazy and his work rate and attitude have been consistently questioned by Leicester fans.

I have some concerns as it is if we try and play both Kane and Son in the attacking 5. If we add Maddison to that, I don’t see any way we play with the super high press and intensity Ange wants. We’d have 3 attackers out of 5 over 27 and 2 over 30, when generally the best high energy teams have younger players.

I’m not worried about Deki as there was a stat a month or 2 ago that he had more pressures than any other player in the league after the World Cup.

 

[chas vs dave]

If he goes to Newcastle then it is what it is, the club will have to come to terms with the fact it failed to establish itself when the opportunity arose and now they're clubs who are making haste as the sun shines and despite our long standing history in the food chain, they might be perceived higher. Do what can be done if this is who the manager wants but let's not feel sorry for ourselves if it doesn't happen, let's find solutions.

Possibly, I do think we need to be smarter with recruitment. I'm ok with maddison, but there is better value out there.

By the way, I think the term is make hay whilst the sun shines.

 

[JCRD]

Maddison has really grown on me over the last three years and for the attacking part of our game, do think he will be great. He does seem injured a bit but really dont have a clue like how many he has missed etc etc etc

 

[crippsy25]

Yeah if they're in for him it's surely all but done.

Higher wages and CL football vs ...London?

Annoying how quickly Newcastle have overtaken us in the pecking order.

They have qualified for Europe once in forever amount of years, we did 13 years straight in europe, they I reckon unless they really splash a lot of money we finish above them again this season, not really sure they have overtaken us in any pecking order.

 

[chas vs dave]

They have qualified for Europe once in forever amount of years, we did 13 years straight in europe, they I reckon unless they really splash a lot of money we finish above them again this season, not really sure they have overtaken us in any pecking order.

They will be 4th seed in the CL. Let's see how they do. Its not easy to play CL and premier league.

 

[wrd]

Possibly, I do think we need to be smarter with recruitment. I'm ok with maddison, but there is better value out there.

By the way, I think the term is make hay whilst the sun shines.

You want to know the worst part, I did it wrong the first time and actually googled it and still fucked it up. Appreciate the correction.

As for the rest, I agree with you, I've never been a fan of Maddison if I'm honest but I should acknowledge he can learn and grow and stop judging him like that but in any event I've always felt there was more value out there. I keep looking at Brighton's approach, now for me if I said that Brighton operate with principles but it's in the region of players between 0-5 million. My belief is that they in order to take the next step, need to figure out how to adopt those principles at the next rung of 5-25 million and I think that's where we need to be also and take advantage of our stature and operate those principles at the range between 5-40 but preferably 25 mill. I hope I've explained that clearly but I want to see the results of those principles operating on a couple levels above with where we are, as opposed to 50 million on Maddison.