Tottenham newbie James Maddison has been speaking to the press today as he settles into life as a new Spurs player.
Maddison got his big move this summer from Leicester, with new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou immediately signing off on a deal to land the midfielder.
After impressing for the Foxes for so many years, Maddison is now hoping to step up and help push Tottenham towards the top four places again.
Of course, midfield partnerships will be key. And speaking to Football.London, Maddison says he has been super impressed with Yves Bissouma since he arrived.
“Bissouma’s a very very good player. I played against him when he was at Brighton and he probably didn’t play as much as he’d like to have done last season. But there’s a top player in there, and maybe that would have been a good answer for the last question, he’s surprised me a little bit. He’s a leader, he talks,” Maddison said.
“For someone who’s only been at the club for a year and didn’t maybe have the best first season as he would have hoped. He’s very demanding and very vocal, and there’s a brilliant player in there so I’m looking forward to seeing how that partnership can go.”
Spurs paid around £25m for Bissouma but as Maddison says, he hasn’t quite played as much. However, he could be in for a big season with plenty of positive talk around him from pre-season.
Big season coming
We all saw at Brighton just how good Yves Bissouma was and now is the chance for him to start showing it for Tottenham.
There does seem to be a sense of opportunity coming for Bissouma under the new manager. There’s plenty of noise coming out of the camp about how impressive he’s been and Maddison’s comments back that up.
The time for Bissouma, then, seems very much to be coming.
Maddison and head coach Ange Postecoglou in a training session ahead of the pre-season friendly match against Leicester City at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.
How have you found your first week or two at the club?
Very good. I know it can be difficult to move club after being at one club for a certain period but the transition has been quite easy. Everyone made me feel welcome. It’s been easy to transition. Something like this, a preseason tour can be beneficial in terms of talking to each other, learning about each other. That’s what I’ve tried to get to do with teammates and staff. And it’s been very easy.
Gareth Southgate once said he sees you as a forward player, we saw you in a midfield three against West Ham, where’s your best position?
Gareth has said I can play in that forward line as well. I don’t think means I am a forward. I’ll play anywhere. Over the years at Leicester I’ve probably played in six different positions. Anywhere in the front line or the midfield line, at some point I’ve played in all of them. I played as an eight the other day in a 4-3-3. If that’s what the manager wants me to do that’s what I’ll do.
