Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou will be galvanised after reportedly taking the lead in the race to sign James Maddison from Leicester City this summer.
What's the latest on James Maddison to Tottenham?
According to The Guardian, Tottenham could be poised to bypass Newcastle United in the race for the England international following the Magpies' near-completion of the €80m (£68.5m) signing of AC Milan's Sandro Tonali.
Writing in his Caught Offside column, transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano corroborated such claims and revealed that a bid from the Lilywhites is now imminent.
The journalist said: "The player is speaking to both sides but he knows Ange Postecoglou is pushing a lot to get things done. Tottenham are working hard and plan to submit a bid in the next days.
“On the fee, it will be discussed again in the next days but Leicester are looking for around £50m for the England international.”
Should Tottenham sign James Maddison?
Maddison's dynamic midfield ability has attracted the attention of many a thriving Premier League outfit over recent times, and despite the Foxes suffering the ignominy of relegation this year, the 26-year-old has remained an impressive and reliable playmaking ace.
Indeed, the "world-class" playmaker, as hailed by Dean Saunders, scored ten goals and supplied nine assists from just 28 league starts this past year, and has emerged from a disastrous campaign at the King Power Stadium with his merit intact.
His services would enhance any aspiring outfit on the European stage, and with Tottenham craving some inspiration and exuberance after finishing eighth this season, it is a move that must be concluded.
He would not only provide a fresh and first-rate dimension from the centre, but he would boost the fortunes of his prospective teammates, and one who might flourish is Richarlison, who has been indifferent in London since his £60m transfer from Everton a year ago.
The Brazilian has earned praise as a "warrior" by former Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte, but after scoring just three times in 35 appearances for Spurs, including just a solitary strike in the league, he has been harangued for his "toothless" performances by the likes of reporter Andrew Gaffney.
However, having flourished as a talisman for Everton over the past several seasons in scoring 53 goals from 152 outings and boasting an exemplary scoring record with Brazil – 20 goals from 44 matches, with one of his three strikes at the 2022 World Cup including a scintillating overhead effort that was dubbed "unstoppable" by writer Sacha Pisani – he could yet thrive for Tottenham.
The chances of an impressive campaign would surely be boosted with a superlative force in Maddison behind him, with the "magician" – as he has been called by Statman Dave – averaging 2.3 key passes per game in the top-flight last term, creating 12 big chances.
Indeed, the £110k-per-week Fox ranks among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers over the past year for assists, the top 13% for shot-creating actions and the top 15% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, underscoring his value as a creative star.
And while Richarlison has endured an inauspicious spell in front of the net of late, he still ranks among the top 12% of positional peers for touches in the attacking box and the top 18% for non-penalty xG per 90, with the latter metric meaning he has vastly underperformed in his expected goals tally, but from a positive outlook, is moving well and finding space and opportune moments.
Maddison would serve him success on a silver platter, and he is exactly the kind of all-encompassing midfielder the 26-year-old South American needs to finally ignite his career at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and further the club's ambitions as it commences its resurgence.