James Maddison returns to Leicester City for the first time on Monday night, with Paul Merson excited to see his Tottenham Hotspur side in action at the King Power Stadium.
Last summer, Tottenham took advantage of Leicester’s relegation to the Championship and snapped up the talents of the playmaker.
Maddison’s first season at Spurs went reasonably well, although, injury and a loss of form did disrupt and then play a part in him missing out on England’s Euro 2024 squad.
Pre-season for Ange Postecoglou was mixed and now he will be hoping his team can make the perfect start because this clash against a newly-promoted side is a banana skin.
It will be interesting to see who starts for Tottenham and which one of their new players makes their debuts because many of them have performed well this summer.
Postecoglou was full of praise for Archie Gray and if he will start against Leicester, but you know all the limelight will be on Dominic Solanke.
Tottenham paid a club-record fee for Solanke’s signing, but he hasn’t featured for the London club in pre-season, although, he did play for Bournemouth this summer.
It will be interesting to see if that equates to him starting from the get-go because it would give Spurs fans a serious boost if that happens.
One man who will be over the moon with Solanke’s arrival is his old England teammate Maddison because there is a partnership there to be made.
Paul Merson thinks it’s going to be an ‘absolute dream’ for Maddison to play alongside Solanke and Son Heung-min ahead of their Premier League opener.
The former Arsenal man also thinks Spurs will now finish in the top four because of Solanke’s capture and how it takes the team to ‘another level’, as he told Sky Sports News (17/08/24 at 12:35 pm).
‘Dream’ for James Maddison to play with Dominic Solanke
“I put them as top four now, yeah, because of that (Solanke signing),” said Merson.
“It’s a domino effect. If you are James Maddison now, you cannot wait for the season to start. What you want is pace and movement up front. He had Kane the year before last and now he has got Solanke. He has got Son. It will be a dream for him, an absolute dream.
“Richarlison on his day is good, but he isn’t willing to go the other way. He wants to come a little bit short. This lad (Solanke) takes Tottenham to another level. If Tottenham can keep their players fit, then they get into the top four. Good signing. It really brings Maddison right into the picture now.”
Tottenham’s top four chances
Compared to many teams around them, Spurs have stability and they have to use that to their favour.
Liverpool beat Ipswich Town 2-0 in Arne Slot’s first game in charge and it will be interesting how they fare, with Aston Villa also starting the season with three points.
READ MORE: 50 MOST LIKELY PREMIER LEAGUE, EFL AND EUROPEAN SUMMER 2024 FOOTBALL TRANSFERS
Those two finished in the Champions League places last term and Spurs will be hoping to dethrone either one to return to the elite.
In terms of what is around Tottenham, Raheem Sterling is releasing statements after his Chelsea omission, as those in West London aren’t going to be much of a threat to Spurs or anyone near the top this season because everything is chaotic.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
