James Maddison has been a tremendous acquisition for Tottenham Hotspur ever since joining the London club from Leicester City following the Foxes’ relegation from the Premier League last season, having bagged eight goal contributions under Ange Postecogou this term.
However, Spurs suffered a massive blow during the side’s 4-1 defeat at home to Chelsea on Monday as the £40m man was taken off in the first half with an ankle problem and Postecoglou admitted that the England international is still being assessed ahead of this weekend’s clash away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A potential long-term absence for the 26-year-old would be a big dampener for Spurs’ early title bid but there is one youngster at the club who should be given a fair crack of the whip by the Australian coach.
Maddison’s stats this season
Statistically, Maddison has been one of the best number ’10s’ in European football over the past year, according to data from FBref, which compares the ex-Norwich City star with all players in the same position from Europe’s top-five leagues as well as the Champions League and the Europa League.
Maddison is in the top 2% for assists per 90, the top 15% for shots per 90, the top 1% for shot-creating actions per 90, the top 5% for expected assisted goals per 90 and the top 11% for xG per 90.
Furthermore, the Spurs man has showcased his creative talent too, sitting in the top 5% for progressive carries per 90, the top 7% for key passes per 90, the top 4% for passes into the final third per 90 and the top 3% for through balls played per 90. FBref have concluded that Maddison’s data during the calendar year has been most comparable to Roma’s Argentine talisman Paulo Dybala and Manchester United’s club captain Bruno Fernandes.
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James Maddison’s most similar players |
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#1 Paulo Dybala |
Roma |
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#2 Leroy Sane |
Bayern Munich |
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#3 Bruno Fernandes |
Manchester United |
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#4 Brahim Diaz |
Real Madrid |
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#5 Ousmane Dembele |
PSG |
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#6 Remy Cabella |
Lille |
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List compiled by FBref. |
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Following a 2-0 win over Fulham two weeks ago, Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher claimed that Maddison is “the most influential player in the Premier League” right now. Joe Cole piled on the praise for the Spurs playmaker too, calling him the “signing of the summer”.
Jamie Donley’s stats this season
Tottenham Hotspur have had some top talents pass through their academy system in years gone by, including the likes of Harry Kane, Sol Campbell and Peter Crouch.
Even England icon David Beckham spent a few years in the club’s school of excellence before switching to Manchester United in the early 1990s. However, the star from Spurs’ current crop of youngsters is certainly 18-year-old Jamie Donley.
After scoring in a 3-0 win for Tottenham’s U19s against French side Marseille back in September 2022, journalist Josh Bunting described Donley as a “fantastic young talent” and a “natural finisher”.
The Northern Irish youngster has already had experience with the first team, having made his debut over the summer during a pre-season game against Motherwell, replacing Harvey White with fifteen minutes left in the match.
Donley has scored six goals and registered 11 assists for Tottenham’s U23s this season in all competitions, an average of 1.67 goal contributions per game from 11 outings after also creating three goals in the EFL Trophy. Having played in a number of positions, including up top, his preferred ’10’ role and as a deeper-lying midfielder, according to Transfermarkt, his versatility is impressive.
In a Q&A interview with Football.London, Spurs reporter Alasdair Gold even stated that he believes Donley can even “emulate James Maddison” and his role under Ange this season.
It would be a massive gamble for Postecoglou to hand the reins to a player who has yet to make his competitive debut for the club. However, as the old cliche goes, if you’re good enough, you’re old enough, and Donley definitely looks good enough.