Why James Maddison is the perfect signing for Tottenham Hotspur

James Maddison has completed his transfer to Tottenham Hotspur for a reported £40m and, while no move is ever a sure thing, this one has the potential to massively transform Ange Postecoglu's side.

For goals and assists combined over the three last seasons, James Maddison ranked fifth in the Premier League, with 54. Only Harry Kane, Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes have achieved a better output than the England international since the start of the 2020/21 season, highlighting how integral a player he has been to Leicester City in that time.

But it's actually what he brings to the team, and, specifically, an Ange Postecoglou team, in addition to those goals and assists where Maddison truly proves his worth.

At Celtic, the Australian manager largely employed a 4-3-3 system, demanding his team attacked with pace and tenacity. The two wingers would stay high and wide, allowing two of the three midfielders to push right up alongside the centre-forward.

Maddison will, invariably, be one of the more attacking midfielders in Spurs' system, should Postecoglou stay loyal to that formation.

However, where the 26-year-old helps differ the point of attack, and become the perfect signing for Tottenham, is his ability to drift into spaces. This allows the likes of Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski to come inside and support the striker.

And, when he's not heading into wide areas, the aforementioned goal involvement stats highlight his ability to either score or assist when he gets into central areas.

As FourFourTwo's Adam Clery emphasises in the video above, Maddison also gets involved in deeper areas. He's capable of receiving the ball and carrying it into more dangerous areas with his dribbling ability, while his forward passing is impressive, too.

Plus, in Rodrigo Bentancur, Spurs have the perfect counterweight to balance out Maddison's floating tendencies. Disciplined and intelligent in central midfield, the Uruguayan and Maddison could both compliment each others' games massively.

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Spurs forward Heung-min Son of has gained an extra year, thanks to a change in the law in his native South Korea.

Real Madrid have opened talks over a deal for Harry Kane, though it is believed that the England captain favours Manchester United. James Maddison is on the radar, while Jordan Pickford was, at one point, on the shortlist, too. Roger Ibanez has been linked, as has Liverpool no.2 Caoimhin Kelleher and long-time target Paolo Dybala.

Meanwhile former striker Teddy Sheringham reckons that, "No Tottenham fan would begrudge him the opportunity to win trophies with another club".