James Maddison is the ideal replacement for Christian Eriksen

Replacing Christian Eriksen will be expensive for Tottenham, but buying James Maddison could prove to be an upgrade for Spurs. 

Tottenham fans are squarely focused on this weekend’s Champions League final against Liverpool at the moment. However, attention will soon turn towards the club’s transfer dealings. If Christian Eriksen does leave the club then replacing him will be Mauricio Pochettino’s top priority.

Fortunately, Eriksen’s potential departure to Real Madrid would also be accompanied by a massive infusion of cash into Spurs’ coffers. It’s also going to require big money to fill the void he will leave in Pochettino’s starting XI.

Fortunately, an ideal transfer target has emerged that’s actually capable of improving Tottenham’s starting lineup in fairly short order. The Daily Mail is reporting that Spurs are starting to show real interest in Leicester City midfielder James Maddison. The 22-year-old Englishman would be the perfect summer addition for Tottenham.

Leicester City will try their best to resist all offers for their midfield engine, but it will be hard for them to turn down a bid that might allow them to more than double the £22 million they paid for Maddison just one year ago. A bid of somewhere around £60 million could bring the talented youngster to North London.

Some Tottenham supporters might think Maddison isn’t capable of stepping right in to replace Eriksen. His performance last year for Leicester says otherwise. Maddison’s Whoscored.com player rating average of 7.20 in Premier League action last season is actually higher than Eriksen’s mark of 7.08. Stats don’t mean anything in the world of football, but in this case, both numbers are a reasonable reflection of the way the two players performed.

At his best, Eriksen can be one of the best No. 10’s in Europe. He’s far from a perfect player though. He lacks the physicality required to really thrive in Pochettino’s pressing system. The Dane is at his best when he’s given loads of time and space on the ball. Spurs don’t always give him that kind of freedom.

Maddison is the more energetic of the two midfielders. He doesn’t have the class on the ball that Eriksen does at this point in their respective careers, but he might have a superior eye for goal. He finished last season with one less goal than Eriksen, but it must be said that Leicester had much more of the ball than Spurs did on the campaign.

The reality is that Eriksen is a slightly better player at the moment, but Maddison as the potential to grow into a superior Premier League player in short order. That’s all Tottenham can really look for in their quest to find a new No. 10. Maddison would be excellent business for Spurs now and exceptional business in the future.