Back in early November last year, James Maddison acquired a hamstring injury. Naturally, this was a cruel blow for him, but also to Tottenham Hotspur’s recently appointed manager, Ange Postecoglou.
Maddison has been sorely missed but with the former Leicester City playmaker set for a return to action shortly, it’s hoped that his contributions can give the club a huge lift as they delve into the second half of the season.
Injury Stalls Super Start
Signed in June 2023, there was little doubt regarding Maddison’s quality. However, there was certainly intrigue as to how the player would adapt to his new surroundings at Spurs following his departure from Leicester, who’d recently been relegated to the Championship. Luckily, Tottenham didn’t need to wait long to see what their new signing was all about.
For those betting on football, Tottenham are currently priced at odds of 30/1 to win the Premier League this season. Maddison brought new creativity in the final third and bagged his first goal in the third league game of the season for Spurs, who are even in the football betting tips to finish in the top four this term. That goal against Bournemouth was the first of three Premier League goals Maddison would score before his injury against Chelsea on November 6th.
It wasn’t just Maddison’s early goalscoring form that caught the eye and impressed Spurs supporters but his assists, too. He notched up five assists in the league in his first 11 games for the north London outfit – Maddison made it look like he’d been with the Lilywhites for years. The injury in a 4-1 defeat to rivals Chelsea was a setback for Maddison and now the hopes are that he’ll pick up where he left off upon his return.
Maddison Return Will Delight Skipper Son
Much like Maddison, club captain Son Heung-min also enjoyed an electric start to this campaign and the pair seemed to form a strong partnership from the off. The departure of star striker Harry Kane over the summer for Bayern Munich left an obvious void in the Spurs’ attack. Son and Kane formed one of the great partnerships in Premier League history.
In fact, the pair combined for a record 47 goals in the English top flight, which is 11 more than the closest rival duo in Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. With Son moving into the central striker role, the pressure was on the South Korean to deliver the goals in Kane’s absence.
Spurs supporters needn’t have worried. Maddison stepped up to Son’s former role and created six big chances in his first 11 appearances. In addition, he produced 58 crosses in that time, 489 completed passes and bagged five assists – Son has been thriving from Maddison’s numbers. It’s unsurprising that Son’s goal tally slowed down in Maddison’s absence, but when the pair are both back on the Tottenham team sheet, the side will be handed a tremendous lift.
It’s too early in the season to suggest where Tottenham will end up in the Premier League standings but, if they do manage success come the end of this term, then summer signing Maddison is likely to have played a key role.
