Tottenham Hotspur have made an excellent start to life under Thomas Frank over the last couple of weeks, with the Dane only losing one of his first nine games at the helm.
Part of his success in North London has been down to the immediate impact of summer addition Mohammed Kudus, with the Ghanaian nailing his place in the starting eleven.
The 25-year-old cost £55m from Premier League rivals West Ham United, already hitting the ground running and contributing to the Lilywhites’ success on the pitch.
He’s already registered four assists across all competitions, two of which came on the opening day in the 3-0 triumph over Burnley - a game which was his competitive debut for the club.
Such an achievement matched a record set by one other first-team member, but the new addition has yet to feature alongside him in the early stages of the 2025/26 campaign.
James Maddison’s highs and lows at Spurs
James Maddison became the first player in Spurs’ Premier League history to register two assists on his league debut, subsequently being joined in such a club by Kudus.
The Englishman joined the Lilywhites back in the summer of 2023 for a fee in the region of £40m from Leicester City after the Foxes’ relegation the season prior.
Since his transfer, he’s racked up 75 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 16 times and registering 19 assists across all competitions - but such numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Injuries have massively plagued the 28-year-old over recent years, already suffering four injuries in his two-year spell, subsequently missing 25 matches through various setbacks.
Maddison has since suffered an ACL injury, further adding to his frustrations and is now expected to miss out on the vast majority of the Dane’s first campaign in charge.
There’s no denying that the attacking midfielder is a player who possesses huge talent, but ultimately his lack of fitness has constantly prevented him from making an impact on a consistent basis.
As a result, he could easily lose his number ten shirt in the near future, with one player already on the books deserving of the opportunity to wear such a historic shirt.
The Spurs star who could steal Maddison’s #10
Over the last couple of years, Spurs have been fortunate to see multiple top talents wear the number ten shirt - none more so than former striker Harry Kane.
The centre-forward emerged through the ranks in North London, before making his mark in the first-team and cementing himself in the Lilywhites’ history forever.
He found the net on 280 occasions during his decade-long spell with the club, subsequently surpassing the late Jimmy Greaves and becoming their all-time top-scorer.
However, Maddison was the player to inherit such a shirt after the former’s departure to join Bayern Munich, but the club may look to hand another first-team star the responsibility of wearing such a historic number.
Pape Matar Sarr joined the Lilywhites as an unknown quantity to many of the supporters, but it’s safe to say he’s now become one of the club’s best players at present.
The Senegalese international joined for just £14.6m in 2021, but would have to wait until the following summer to make his first competitive appearance for the English outfit.
However, since such a day, the 23-year-old hasn’t looked back, subsequently racking up over 100 appearances in all competitions - five of which have come in the Premier League under Frank.
Sarr, who’s been dubbed “unbelievable” by Jamie O’Hara, has already registered a goal and two assists in England’s top flight this season, highlighting his attacking quality despite his deep-lying role.
He’s now posted a total of 10 goals and eight assists since making the move to England, which has allowed him to be a vital component within the club’s midfield department.
Out of possession, Sarr has been just as impressive, winning 5.1 duels per 90, along with 4.8 recoveries made - arguably being one of the best box-to-box options in the league.
At 23, he had plenty of time to build on his early success in North London, potentially playing a crucial role in any future success achieved during Frank’s tenure in the role.
As a result, he could easily be handed the number ten shirt by the club to reflect his importance, but such a decision could prove to be harsh in Maddison, given his recent struggles.
However, football is a cruel industry and it remains to be seen what level the Englishman is at after such an injury lay-off, with the hierarchy having a huge call to make on his future.