Chris Waddle claims £60m-rated playmaker may not be a good fit for Conte’s system 

Chris Waddle has claimed that he is unsure whether Leicester City’s James Maddison would be a good fit for Antonio Conte’s set-up at Tottenham.

Maddison has been linked with a move to Tottenham over recent months, with Alasdair Gold saying on his YouTube channel back in August that the 25-year-old is a player that some at the north London club admire.

The England international has been the sole shining light for Leicester so far this campaign, having seven goal contributions to his name in seven appearances in the Premier League (Transfermarkt) despite the Foxes’ struggles this season.

Maddison’s current deal at the King Power Stadium runs out in 2024 and Football Insider reported last week that the attacking midfielder would ‘jump at the chance’ to join Spurs if the club came in for him.

Newcastle United were also heavily linked with a move for the former Norwich player during the summer with Leicester said to value him at £60million (Football Insider).

However, Waddle has cited the Leicester star’s shortcomings off the ball as a reason why the Lilywhites might decide against pushing ahead with a move for the player.

The Tottenham legend told Top Rated Casions: “I’m not sure Maddison is a Conte player. You’ve got to have a certain style of play, to accommodate James Maddison i.e. Jack Grealish, very similar. They’re not the best without the ball, so you’ve got to build a team to compensate for that.

“The only way you can get a creative player in that team is if you don’t play three up front and instead go with a two. Kane and Son, Kane and Richarlison, go back to a back four even.

“They’ve tried a lot of players over the years, Lamela, Gil who was on the bench at the weekend. They’ve tried to bring players like Ndombele who’s gone to Italy, he’s a technically gifted midfield player who on his day is fantastic.

“A player he doesn’t use who I think could play in a midfield three is Bissouma. He’s come from Brighton, I’m not sure why he’s held him back, if there’s a problem as he’s such a talented footballer, got a lot of creativity to him as well not just in a defensive role, he can get on the ball, see passes and see runs.

“I’d like to see Tottenham go in with a three in midfield rather than a two, I think it’s hard on Hojberg and Bentancour. Many teams go with a three in midfield now and sometimes they get outnumbered. When you’re playing the better sides you’ve got to overload the midfield. But that would mean leaving one of his strikers out and at the minute he doesn’t want to do that.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I agree with Waddle’s assessment about Maddison not being a good fit for Tottenham’s system. Given Conte’s reluctance to use a 3-5-2, I am not sure where the Leicester star would fit in.

Having said that, the North Londoners might look at the opportunity to sign a player of Maddison’s quality on a cut-price deal (if he does not sign a new contract) as too good to turn down.

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