Pundit Jamie O’Hara has admitted he was shocked by just how good a deal Tottenham Hotspur got when they signed James Maddison this summer.
O’Hara was speaking on TalkSPORT (23/10 9:36am) ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Fulham this evening.
Spurs have the opportunity to return to the top of the Premier League if they beat Marco Silva’s side.
Fulham don’t have the best record away against Tottenham, however, they are the only side to defeat Ange Postecoglou since he took the job in North London, although they required penalties to do so.
Tottenham faced a summer where the club could have gone one of two ways.
After an eighth-place finish and missing out on European football, Ange Postecoglou had plenty of problems to solve.
Losing Harry Kane was a huge blow but their recruitment this summer has been sensational.
Micky Van de Ven looks like a natural Premier League centre-back and Guglielmo Vicario is a worthy successor to Hugo Lloris.
However, Jamie O’Hara has highlighted how good a signing James Maddison has been and the amazing deal Tottenham negotiated for the 26-year-old.
At £40m, he looks like a steal compared to some of the deals done by their rivals this summer.
Daniel Levy has been criticized by fans in the past for not matching the spending of the Premier League’s biggest teams.
When they bring in players like Maddison, it shows that smart recruitment is more effective than expensive recruitment.
O’Hara amazed by Maddison deal this summer
Speaking about the 26-year-old, O’Hara said: “Honestly, it’s been a joy to watch [James] Maddison, it really has.
“I mean, what a summer signing. We’ve got him on the cheap really when you’re looking at some of the players that have been going for crazy money.
“We got him for what, £40m? He’s an unbelievable player, he’s completely changed the side.
“And what he’s done, he’s almost taken over Harry Kane’s role the way that he gets in pockets and gets on the half turn but he also can make things happen.
“He can get on the end of things and what it’s allowed, it’s allowed the front three to go and press and go and be high up the pitch.
“Harry Kane would drop deep but he would also have to then get in the box and be the guy that scores goals.
“Maddison the one that’s getting on it, making things happen and really, truthfully, we are a joy to watch.”
Many Tottenham fans will agree with O’Hara that the deal the club got for Maddison looks crazy at this stage.
It’s hard to look past him right now for signing of the season and he’ll hope to add to his tally of goals and assists against Fulham this evening.
He has admitted that some of his performances have been overhyped slightly during this campaign.
However, he’s loving life under Ange Postecoglou and the pair seem perfectly suited to working together right now.
