Ange Postecoglou has praised the Tottenham hierarchy for delivering his wish by signing James Maddison early in the transfer window, admitting that the North London club had to see off competition for the midfielder’s signature.
Maddison has hit the ground running at Tottenham since arriving at the club in the summer, with four goal contributions to his name in the first four league games of the season.
The 26-year-old had deservedly been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month award for August, and Spurs fans will be hoping that there is more to come from the attacking midfielder once he develops a better understanding with his Tottenham teammates.
Maddison admitted last week that the way Postecoglou wants the Lilywhites to play perfectly suits his own game, which was one of the reasons he was keen to join the club (Evening Standard).
Postecoglou has now spoken in glowing terms about the England international’s ability and his leadership skills.
(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Tottenham backed Postecoglou with Maddison
When asked if he is excited about what Maddison could produce, given the outstanding start he has made to his Spurs career, the Australian told talkSPORT: “Oh absolutely. When you talk about the support I’ve had since I came into the role, we signed James pretty early on which was pretty great for me. There was competition from other clubs for him but the club backed me early on to bring him in.
“I think what you’ve seen so far is that we’ve gained a player with outstanding ability but also somebody who is very, very driven to bring success to this football club.
“I think when you get both, sometimes you get players at different stages of their careers, but for James and the club it’s the perfect time.
“He’s coming here to make an impact, not just for himself individually because I think he’s already done that as an individual. He wants to make an impact for this football club and I think for James Maddison and all the players, we’re just at the beginning.
“I don’t say that to dismiss that we’ve had an encouraging start but we’ve still got a long way to go in what we’re trying to build. What we’ve got in Madders and Sonny and Romero, who are the new leaders of this group, they’re going to play an important role in that.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While Maddison’s ability is there for all to see, what makes the 26-year-old an especially brilliant addition to the squad is his personality and his leadership skills.
One can tell that he enjoys the big stage and his influence in the dressing room ahead of big matches like the North London derby will be invaluable for the side, particularly given how young the squad is.
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