Arsenal have received a big boost in their pursuit of James Maddison this week…
What’s the word?
The Gunners are said to be interested in the Leicester City star and as per The Sun back in April, are willing to battle it out with arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur for his signature.
The Foxes need to sell some of their key players if they are to make any moves in the transfer market before the September 1st deadline and the 25-year-old is someone who could garner a substantial fee, with his asking price thought to be in the region of £50m.
And now, according to transfer insider Dean Jones, the one-time England international would be very keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium.
“I don’t get any signs so far that James Maddison actually wants to join Newcastle. From what I hear, James Maddison wants to join Tottenham or Arsenal,” he told ‘The Done Deal Show’ earlier this week.
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Special signing for Arsenal
After bringing in no fewer than five new signings, Gunners technical director Edu Gaspar could well seal his biggest coup yet in Maddison, who would add an abundance of quality to Mikel Arteta’s midfield.
Once lauded as “a special talent” by The Times’ chief football writer Henry Winter, the 25-year-old put his name on the map with a standout campaign last term.
Maddison provided Leicester with an eye-catching 18 goals and 12 assists across 53 appearances in all competitions, which included a run in the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
It’s all the more impressive considering the fact that the Foxes’ overall season was pretty subpar as they finished eighth in the Premier League standings and were knocked out of the Conference League by eventual winners AS Roma in the semi-finals.
Edu has already sealed the arrival of Fabio Vieira, who adds another dimension to the engine room but the talents of Maddison may just be too hard to ignore, especially when thinking about the prospect of him linking up with fellow homegrown talents Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and maybe even Eddie Nketiah.
Compared favourably to Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes by FBref, it’s evident that Maddison is an elite playmaker as he also ranks inside the top 10% of all midfielders in the Premier League for non-penalty goals (0.44 per 90), as well as the top 12% for passes into the final third (2.89 per 90).
That’s not to mention his stunning ability from dead-ball situations, having earned comparisons to that of David Beckham, due to his free-kick taking skills.
Also dubbed as a “genius” by BBC Norfolk presenter Rob Butler, it’s clear that Maddison would be a fantastic sixth signing of the summer window and one that Edu must look to complete, given Jones’ latest comments.
AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano: Edu can seal “phenomenal” £38m signing, he’d be Arsenal’s next Henry…
