James Maddison might be better suited to Tottenham Hotspur than Premier League rivals Newcastle United with Danny Murphy wondering if there is a natural fit for him in Eddie Howe’s team.
If we are talking about pure footballing ability, then James Maddison belongs on a purely different plane to Joelinton, Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff. But there is more to top-level sport than pure ‘ability’.
Newcastle United’s hard-running midfield came to epitomise the industrious, all-action style which underpinned the Magpies’ fourth place finish last season.
Murphy, the former England international, draws comparisons between Newcastle’s engine room and that of a post-Philippe Coutinho Liverpool; Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum making up for their technical deficiencies with a never-say-die work ethic and serious running power.
And Maddison, Murphy fears, could be an awkward fit; a natural ‘number ten’ shifted to the wings in order to accomodate two box-to-box ‘eights’.
Newcastle United or Tottenham Hotspur for James Maddison
“From a footballing point of view, the obvious answer would be Newcastle,” Murphy tells talkSPORT (21 June, 11.50am) when asked if Maddison is better off at Newcastle or Tottenham. “Because they are in the Champions League and they are on the ascendancy.
“If I was him, I’d be talking to both managers (Howe and Ange Postecoglou) and really trying to nail down where they think he is going to play.
“The way Eddie Howe has set up this Newcastle side – and the way I see them moving forward – is not with James Maddison, even though he’s a super player.
“(Howe) plays three in the middle of the pitch. A bit like when Coutinho went (from Liverpool). Three athletes who can play but are all box-to-box. They get back, spot danger, play high tempo.
“And (Howe) has three up front. He could (play out wide) but I don’t think that’s his best position. It depends what he thinks his best position is.”
Postecoglou’s Celtic tended to utilise a ‘twin eight’ system too. But the suggests of Reo Hatate and Tom Rogic under the Australian at Parkhead suggests that – as long as Spurs get the balance right – there is a more obvious place for Maddison at a Tottenham side who are nowhere near as settled, tactically speaking, as Newcastle.
“Spurs could build a team around him. He could play as a ‘ten’, and then with two holding midfielders. Tottenham are in such a transition really,” Murphy adds.
He is a super technician, super creative. But I think if he goes to Newcastle, he’d have to play wide unless Howe – which I cannot see – completely changes his system.”
According to the Northern Echo, the £50 million-rated Leicester City playmaker is currently favouring a move to Tottenham over Newcastle.
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