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Tottenham and Manchester City among clubs chasing top English prospect’s signature

By Benjamin Barkworth

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - MARCH 27: James Maddison of England during the U21 European Championship Qualifier between England U21 and Ukraine U21 at Bramall Lane on March 27, 2018 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - MARCH 27: James Maddison of England during the U21 European Championship Qualifier between England U21 and Ukraine U21 at Bramall Lane on March 27, 2018 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) /
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James Maddison is being targeted by a host of Premier League clubs after an excellent season at Norwich.

Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal are the sides in the top six chasing for the 21-year-old’s signature, according to The Telegraph. They aren’t the only sides interested in him, though, with other Premier League sides wanting him such as Everton and Brighton. His unconventional career path gives them hope that he might prioritise playing time over club status by joining them.

This is only his second season with Norwich, but he has flourished. He was fighting with Alex Pritchard until January for the starting attacking midfield role. Pritchard lost that battle and ended up joining Huddersfield in the last transfer window. The trust shown by Daniel Farke has allowed him to progress rapidly; this season he has 14 goals and eight assists in 3454 league minutes, according to WhoScored. These are fantastic numbers for a player having his breakthrough season, and hint at his high potential.

If he continues this progression then it won’t be long before he is called up to the England national team. He already has three caps with the England Under-21s. However, he needs a move to the Premier League because he has outgrown his current surroundings at Norwich.

Which Premier League side should he join?

It’s likely that he would get more playing time with the sides outside the top six. However, he’s unlikely to entertain moving to one of them, and some of the top six managers have a proven reputation for improving players. Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United won’t be assessed because they haven’t been linked with him.

Arsenal have given plenty of opportunities to young players in the recent past. It’s likely that Maddison would be given gametime, but young players have stagnated at under Arsene Wenger because of the lack of individual coaching. There is also a lot of uncertainty around Wenger’s future as well with the club seeming to go backwards because he refuses to leave.

Manchester City are enticing because they are in the midst of Pep Guardiola’s project which has seen them win the Premier League and League Cup this season. He is the best manager for a player to develop under due to his attention to detail. Maddison could certainly develop a lot on the training pitch, but his opportunities in the first-team would be limited. The Citizens have a depth of talent in that area.

Tottenham are a good balance inbetween because they can offer plenty of gametime as well as in-depth individual coaching. Pochettino is really good at working with the resources available to him. Therefore, he is adept at moulding players into the role that he needs. It’s likely that Maddison would be used in a similar way to Christian Eriksen, but there is no certainty to that.

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Spurs represent the best option for the next step in his career. He would also benefit from working with the strong English contingent at the club; that would help ease his potential transition into the England national team due to developing an understanding with these players.

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