Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou had only positive things to say about his new signing James Maddison as the pair attended a press conference ahead of the pre-season game against Leicester City tomorrow.
Maddison is a player that has been tracked by Tottenham for many years, but it is Ange Postecoglou who gets the privilege of signing and coaching the midfielder for the Lilywhites.
There will be a fair bit of pressure and expectation on Maddison’s shoulders this season, as he is thought to be the answer to many of the problems Spurs have suffered in recent years when it comes to creativity within the squad.
The 26-year-old more than proved his worth during his time at Leicester City, bagging 55 goals and providing 41 assists for the Foxes over the years (Transfermarkt).
Maddison was the second signing of Postecoglou’s tenure at Tottenham, and the Australian is seemingly very happy with the player he has acquired.
James Maddison can be valuable to Spurs
Speaking to the press (via Football.London), Postecoglou had plenty of nice things to say about Maddison and the kind of impact he can have on the Tottenham squad.
Postecoglou said: “Obviously he’s a very talented footballer. Really highly motivated, I think he’s got to a stage of his career where he’s got a little bit of authority and maturity on the pitch as well so you can see him wanting to be a presence around the players.
“Considering he’s only been with us for a few weeks he’s had a real positive influence. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with him. I know everyone has been impressed with him on and off the field.”
On what Maddison brings to the team, Postecoglou added: “[He has] a presence around the place. He’s obviously got a lot of self-belief because of how it’s gone so far in his journey as a footballer.
“He makes the presence felt as a footballer but also in a personal sense by being really present and making sure he can be an influence in all areas.”
“With the way I build the team like that, one of the attractions of him is that he can play in a number of different roles in the way our midfield is set up.
“I think we’ve got a number of our midfielders who can do that and that’s the way we want to set up. I think he has all the attributes to play in that area of the park for us.”
Postecoglou was then asked about how Maddison fits into his style of play, and said: “He’s a midfielder who is a real attacking threat in terms of both goals and assists, with his passing and movement.
“From that perspective we want to be an attacking team and the more attacking threats we have the harder it is for opponents to stop you.
“The reason we weren’t the only ones interested in him is because when you get players from midfield areas who can provide a goal threat I think they’re pretty valuable to your team.
“The other side that I’ve really been pleased with is that he works hard off the ball as well you know from a defensive sense. We know that we want to be a team that works hard on the ball and he’s been really good without it.
“He’s been working hard and you can see that’s a part of the game he’s also embraced.”
Spurs Web Opinion
James Maddison should work perfectly in Postecoglou’s system and he will relish the opportunity to play in a team with such a focus on attacking football.
By all accounts, it’s been a very positive start to Maddison’s time at Spurs, and that should only improve over time.