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Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is interested in making a move for Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison this summer, per the Daily Mirror.
What’s the word?
Spurs are set for a major windfall after reaching the Champions League final and finishing in the Premier League top four.
With their funds boosted, Pochettino could embark on something of a spending spree this summer and he is said to admire the talent of Maddison, who has made a first-team breakthrough at Leicester this season.
The 22-year-old missed just two Premier League games and scored seven goals while providing seven assists.
His form earned him a call-up to the England squad for Nations League group games against Croatia and Spain, though he did not make his debut, instead remaining on the bench.
The Mirror report that Leicester would want a significant profit on the £22.5million they paid to secure his signature, with Spurs aware that they may have to fight off significant competition to secure a deal.
The ideal Eriksen replacement
Spurs’ interest in Maddison comes as Real Madrid are monitoring a move for Christian Eriksen.
And it certainly appears that the Englishman would be the perfect replacement.
Per WhoScored, the Foxes star averages 2.8 key passes per game in the Premier League, along with 2.3 shots and 1.4 dribbles. He has a pass success rate of 83.8% and is an adept free-kick taker; he scored three goals from dead ball situations in 2018-19.
Eriksen, by comparison, averages 2.5 key passes, 2.4 shots and just 0.5 dribbles. His pass completion rate is 81% and he scored one free-kick, on the final day against Everton.
A move for Maddison would be a like-for-like replacement but it could also improve Spurs’ attacking midfield ranks – the statistics show that he might well already be a better player than the Denmark international.