In his first interview since joining Tottenham Hotspur, star midfield signing James Maddison has revealed something new Australian manager Ange Postecoglou told him ‘stuck with me’ and convinced him to join Spurs.
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English midfield star Maddison has been a standout at Leicester since joining that club in 2018, ranking as one of the finest creative midfielders in the Premier League as well as winning a FA Cup and earning a place in the Three Lions’ World Cup side in 2022.
He appeared 203 times for the club and scored 10 times last season.
After the Foxes were relegated, Maddison was in hot demand – but it was Postecoglou’s vision for the perennially trophyless Spurs that convinced the 26-year-old to seal a £40 million transfer.
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“I feel a hunger about the place,” he said in his first interview with the official club website. “You come here, and you get a feel for the club and the people, everything about it, and it feels brilliant. Like I said, I’m very happy and can’t wait to get going.”
Maddison revealed a chat with Postecoglou made the difference in his decision.
“I spoke to the manager, spoke to Daniel (Levy, chairman) and they both spoke very highly of everything about the club.
“Speaking to the manager was very important, how he’s going to be, with that little bit of the unknown, so to have a decent chat with him and to get his thoughts on things, how he sees Spurs going this season … he said one thing to me on the call, I hope he won’t mind me saying this, but he said, ‘whether you come or not, you’re going to see a completely different Spurs team under me’, and that kind of stuck with me that he said that.
“Things like that are so important, building a good relationship with him, with Daniel, speaking to other players, obviously, I know a lot of them anyway, and playing against them for so many years, I feel like I have such a good understanding with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and now I’m part of it, and I have this lovely white shirt on, I’m ready to go.”
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