Former Tottenham defender Brian Statham has urged the club to sign Leicester City midfielder James Maddison if Christian Eriksen leaves the club.
Eriksen revealed earlier this week that he was looking for a new challenge, as the Danish international fuelled speculation that he could move away from North London this summer.
Speaking to Love Sport Radio, Statham – who was at Spurs between 1987 and 1992 – said that Maddison – who scored seven goals and assisted seven others in 36 Premier League appearances last term – would be an ideal replacement if Eriksen was to leave.
“£60million would be quite cheap by the sounds of things with the market and prices the way they are going. So maybe that could be a like-for-like price. One goes out for £100 million and one comes in at £100m,” the 50-year-old said.
“James Maddison seems to have got an awful lot of attention at the moment and from what I have seen I have been pleasantly surprised at what a good player he is – so it is no surprise that there is interest in James Maddison.
“That’s the type of player you could buy who understands the Premier League and the demands, and then it would just be fitting in with the club’s ethos.
“You are buying an English player who is 22 which is a really good age who has had one full year in the Premier League but has done extremely well.
“Is that the type of player Mauricio Pochettino would like? I would have thought so looking at the type of players he has inherited firstly when he went there and those he has bought in that time he has turned them into really good players amongst that team and group ethic.”
OPINION
Statham is right- this would indeed be a fantastic move for Spurs to make. Maddison has only had one full season in the Premier League since joining the Foxes from Norwich City, and he has looked right at home. He has been excellent for Leicester – scoring seven goals and assisting seven others in 36 appearances – and at the age of 22, he still has a lot of developing to do as a player and he has fantastic potential. All the signs suggest that Eriksen could leave this summer, and if he does, Maddison would be a very ideal replacement. At 22 years of age, he is in the age bracket which Mauricio Pochettino works best with. The likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli have flourished under the Argentine, and Maddison would be no different if he was to move to North London. If Eriksen does leave, it will be very interesting to see who Spurs replace him with, but there is no doubt that Maddison will be one player they will have on their shortlist, as he is a very special talent who is destined for great things.