James Maddison wears Harry Kane’s old shirt, but it wasn’t all straightforward. James Maddison reveals the reason he did not want Harry Kane’s iconic no. 10 Tottenham shirt. However, he also gave an unromantic insight into the somewhat unromantic reason that he ended up with it anyway – to boost club shop sales.
The new White Hart Lane favourite insists the last thing in the world he wanted when he joined was to wear no. 10 – even though it’s his favourite shirt number.
Spurs fans in Australia were stunned when he was handed the no. 71 shirt instead for a pre-season friendly against West Ham in Perth but it was in line with the club’s decision to give all new signings numbers in the 70s during their tour.
Conspiracy theorists at the time were adamant that the temporary measure was only in place because the club were bound to sell Harry Kane before the start of the season proper.
And sure enough, with days of the club’s top scorer leaving for Bayern Munich, Maddison was announced as the new incumbent of the prized digits.
“I didn’t want the number ten shirt to become free, to be honest, because that meant one thing,” Maddison said. “So I was definitely not waiting for the number ten shirt.
“We all got given pre-season numbers – me, Solomon Manor, the new signings, Destiny Udogie.
Then, when the time comes – because there are ins and outs – it was changed.
“The club has to sell shirts.“ Maddison admits that once Kane had gone he did not exactly have to have his arm twisted to accept the new number – an arm which already has “10” inked deeply into it.
“I didn’t want Harry to leave but when he did leave and the number ten shirt became free and the club asked me, then of course I wanted to wear it,” he said. “It’s my favourite number.
“I’ve got it tattooed on me, I loved that number growing up as a kid so I was never going to say no.”
More importantly, Kane’s departure does not appear to have unduly affected the form of a team currently second in the Premier League.
“I knew there was a chance Harry could leave but it wasn’t all doom and gloom,” Maddison said. “There was such a good feel with the new manager coming in and new players, and I didn’t feel any hangover from the previous managers.
“There were connotations around more negative, defensive football and I didn’t feel any hangover from that.
“Everyone was on a fresh slate and there was a really good energy and feel about the club. From the moment I went in until now it’s been really good.”
