Relegation to the Championship would make for a complicated summer transfer window at Tottenham Hotspur.
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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison could reject an immediate summer exit to a Premier League rival, even if his side is relegated to the Championship at the end of the season.
Spurs are in freefall under interim boss Igor Tudor and are set to become embroiled in a relegation dogfight between now and the end of the top flight campaign. A drop down to the second tier would come with an inevitable mass exodus of important first team stars this summer.
Maddison has not played for Tottenham this season due to a serious ACL injury. The England international has 222 Premier League appearances to his name and might have been considered one of the first candidates to push for an exit.
However, Football Insider suggests that the 29-year-old could be happy to remain at Spurs in the Championship, which would allow him to become a linchpin in midfield. Spurs have missed Maddison’s creative intelligence this season.
The player does have 47 appearances in the Championship to his name, with 15 goals and eight assists. The outlet claims that Aston Villa are monitoring a summer transfer for the player but that Maddison could elect to complete his full comeback in North London and then potentially look to leave in January.
James Maddison tipped to stay at Spurs if club drop to Championship
Former Tottenham scout Mick Brown told the outlet: “While most of the Spurs squad would be expected to move on, and the midfielder would be available at a bargain price, he could decide to stick with his current club. Maddison is going to be an interesting one. If the reports on his recovery are positive and he returns for Tottenham in pre-season, there could be an opportunity to bring him in on a bargain deal.
“If Tottenham are relegated, they’re going to struggle to keep hold of players and they’ll have to sell, so the opportunity will be there for clubs like Villa. From Maddison’s point of view, though, I think there’s a strong possibility he could stay at Spurs.
“The major factor for him is getting back fit and playing, and I would think he needs a good pre-season to get back playing first and foremost. If he can do that and get back to form early in the season with Tottenham, whichever league they might be in, then it might be something he looks at in January.”
Despite not having played this season, former Spurs boss Thomas Frank had lavished praise on the midfielder when head coach at Brentford and acknowledged his importance to the club. In January 2024, Frank said: “I’m pretty sure he [Postecoglou] will say that he [Maddison] is a key player for them if he hasn’t already said it.
“I think they are a different team with and without Maddison. I think he’s been a game-changer for them this season. They have a lot of other good players, Spurs, so it’s not that they can’t replace him, but the dynamic in the team, they just change.
“He is the one that can do something out of nothing with a pass, shot, cross, action. So, that’s a key player they got back.”
In other news, 'I'd Take It': Ex Tottenham manager forced to address links when cornered at Cheltenham Festival.