Norwich City’s loss to Chelsea on penalties in their FA Cup third round replay was devastating for the club, but it may have done some more inadvertent damage to the Canaries’ immediate future.
James Maddison put in a flawless performance for the club in midfield, and his display may have just convinced several interested Premier League clubs to take a punt on him.
Tottenham are one of those clubs heavily linked with a move for Maddison in the January window, but they face massive competition with Liverpool and Manchester City also interested.
As reported by the Evening Standard, Spurs have been tracking the 21-year-old from his days at Coventry City, the club from where he joined the Canaries, and are interested in a double deal in which they sign him and then loan him back.
And, in Norwich’s FA Cup replay with Chelsea on Wednesday night, it was clear to see why.
Maddison absolutely bossed the Norwich midfield, pinging balls from flank to flank and causing issues for the Blues all night long.
It was reminiscent of his performances all season long in the Championship for the Canaries, a competition in which he has scored seven goals and supplied five assists in 25 appearances so far.
He is easily the club’s best player at the moment, and that is evidenced by the fact he is their top scorer, from midfield.
But, despite his consistent displays in the Championship, it was the performance against Chelsea that is most significant.
It showed that Maddison can handle himself on the biggest stage, against one of the country’s biggest teams.
Chelsea struggled to deal with Norwich all night, and Maddison was a massive part of that.
Despite the eventual loss, he did not put a foot wrong all night as the Canaries pushed the defending Premier League champions to the brink.
He topped off his display with a confidently-taken spot-kick, planting the ball in the bottom right corner as he sent Willy Caballero the wrong way.
His efforts were to prove in vain, but they may just have sealed him something far greater than an FA Cup fourth round berth: a dream move to the promised land of the Premier League.
Funnily enough, the report by the Standard linking Spurs with a move for Maddison this month talks about a ‘Dele Alli-style’ deal, in which the club will buy the 21-year-old before loaning him back to the Canaries for the rest of the season.
And it is not just the terms of the transfer which Maddison can emulate at Tottenham, but also the impact that Alli had on his arrival from MK Dons in 2015.
Like Alli, he is a young, English attacking midfielder, who has spent all of his career so far in the lower leagues.
The influence of Mauricio Pochettino has worked wonders with Alli, who has transformed from a raw talent into a bona fide international star, and the signs are there to suggest Maddison could tread the same path.
Spurs first need to secure the 21-year-old, which may prove tougher than the £5million deal they struck for Alli.
But, if they can do that, there is no reason to suggest that Maddison cannot follow in Alli’s footsteps, and rise to the top of the English game under the lights at the new White Hart Lane.