James Maddison could face a battle to keep his place at Tottenham Hotspur after their recent transfer activity this summer.
Spurs are undergoing a summer of change ahead of their return to the Champions League, with Ange Postecoglou sacked in the wake of their Europa League victory and Thomas Frank hired to replace him.
Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel‘s loans from Lens and Bayern Munich respectively were made permanent either side of Frank’s arrival on 12 June, and Luka Vuskovic also arrived from Hajduk Split on 1 July.
Tottenham’s first statement signing of the summer came on 10 July in the form of Mohammed Kudus’ £55million move from West Ham, and Frank isn’t done yet as he aims to strengthen in attacking midfield.
A £60m bid for Morgan Gibbs-White was submitted hot on the heels of Kudus’ arrival in North London, and that could be bad news for Spurs’ current number 10 despite Gibbs-White‘s transfer hitting a snag.
Maddison meets Van de Ven with Tottenham place under threat
Tottenham‘s players returned for pre-season training in the first week of July as Frank looks to put his stamp on things at Spurs, and one of last season’s top scorers is already in a fight to keep his place.
MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES
Maddison’s position in the team could be taken by Gibbs-White if he completes a move to Tottenham in spite of a threat of legal action by Nottingham Forest, despite his 12 goals and 11 assists last season.
The 28-year-old was never at the forefront of Postecoglou’s plans at Spurs, but Maddison wasn’t letting the potential of being replaced phase him as he shared a post on Instagram story on Sunday (14 July).
Alongside defender Micky van de Ven, Maddison said: “Spot of lunch with my big Dutch mate”.
Frank’s Tottenham taking shape amid Maddison uncertainty
Unlike Maddison, Van de Ven’s place in Frank‘s starting XI is likely assured at Tottenham after his injuries limited the Dutchman to just 22 appearances and played a big part in derailing Spurs’ last campaign.
Maddison is still one of Tottenham’s vice-captains alongside Cristian Romero, and given the uncertainty over both Romero and Son Heung-min’s futures, the England playmaker could yet be elevated further.