James Maddison, in the aftermath of Leicester City’s latest Premier League shellacking, admits that there was a ‘sigh of relief’ when the transfer window closed on September 1st following another summer of sustained speculation.
But could you really blame Maddison, after Leicester’s sixth successive top-flight defeat, for counting down the days until the next one opens? Despite an impressive start to the new season, at least from a personal point of view, the 25-year-old was once again conspicuous by his absence from Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.
The World Cup now looks like a pipe dream at best, even if Southgate is aware of Maddison’s talents. Despite what you might think.
“He’s a player of outstanding technical ability,” the England boss said back in 2019. “He has an eye for an incisive pass, and his set-play delivery is world class. Absolutely top.”
Now, Maddison is used to disappointment as far as his international prospects go. But yet another England omission – coupled with Leicester’s dismal run of form on the club stage – is starting to feel like a rather combustible cocktail.
One that, with less than two years remaining on his King Power contract, could be about to blow up in Foxes faces.
Would James Maddison leave Leicester City for Tottenham Hotspur or Newcastle United?
Newcastle United, having had a £40 million bid rejected over the summer, are already planning to make Maddison their number one January target (Northern Echo). Spurs could come calling too, per Dean Jones, after the former Norwich star’s wonderfully instinctive finish at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the weekend; a goal that deserved more than to be a meaningless consolation in a six-goal hammering.
Brendan Rodgers quipped recently that £40 million ‘might just cover three-quarters of his left leg’. With his contract running down, another, similar bid may be no laughing matter.
A season or two ago, Tottenham or Newcastle might have felt like a step down for Maddison; when Leicester were established Champions League chasers. You certainly can’t say the same these days. Antonio Conte’s Tottenham side are just one point off the top despite never really getting out of second gear thus far. Newcastle’s run of one win in seven, meanwhile, should not distract from all the progress they have made on and off the pitch over the last 12 months or so. A move to either club would also, you’d think, enhance Maddison’s England prospects too. Even if January comes too late as far as Qatar is concerned.
Leicester City are already five points adrift at the bottom. Even that Derby County side of 2007/08 had a better record at this stage. Things could still get worse, too. Jamie Vardy and Jonny Evans are not getting any younger, while Youri Tielemans is a free agent in 2023. This feels like a club adrift; one hurdling towards the end of a decaying dynasty.
The phrase ‘jumping from a sinking ship’ comes to mind.
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