James Maddison’s 2020/21 Leicester City campaign can be compared to a sandwich, where the bread is stale but there’s also a tasty filling. An indifferent start due to injury was followed by a purple patch around the Christmas period with Maddison bringing cheer to Foxes fans amidst a third lockdown. His quest to convince Gareth Southgate was sadly cut short by injury, sustained against Aston Villa just as he was hitting his stride.
Unfortunately, Maddison failed to recapture his form upon returning from injury. His ill-judged involvement in the ill-fated COVID house party did little to endear himself to Foxes fans, especially after the expectation he had placed on himself with his interviews. Therefore, it’s a shame that a positive middle of the season has been bookended by indifferent form as well as off-the-pitch issues.
It’s time to go
Undoubtedly, James Maddison has been an excellent signing for Leicester City, but all good things must come to an end. After his poor run of form, where he failed to register a goal involvement after February, LCFC may be wise to cash in. Not only has Maddison displayed inconsistent form and fitness this season, but his attitude can be questioned after the diabolical COVID party. It’s worth mentioning he wasn’t the only one that should be criticised. Nevertheless, after everything he had said, Maddison disappointed people the most.
Maddison’s set-pieces have been compared to David Beckham at times, which seems laughable given his record last season. Leicester fans have probably lost count of the number of corners hitting the first man. Whilst free-kicks are Maddison’s speciality, he only scored one last season, with this being a fortunate free-kick against Liverpool. For a player of his talent, he has certainly underwhelmed in this department, although it hasn’t been for the want of trying.
As repeated many times over, Leicester still need to sign at least three players (LB, RW, CB) of first-team quality. The sale of Maddison which would need to be in the range of £60-70m to be sanctioned, would certainly allow quality reinvestment in all three areas. Whilst LCFC fans may not like this fact, the harsh reality is that the Foxes model requires player sales to aid the long-term progression of the club.
The case against Leicester City selling James Maddison
Whilst it’s easy to lampoon Maddison for his sub-par performances post-injury, two things must be taken into account. Firstly, Maddison never fully recovered from that niggling hip injury sustained against Villa in February. Even though he was able to play towards the season’s end, his lack of match sharpness was evident in the sluggishness of some of his decision making and passing. Therefore whilst some criticism is justified, lambasting his displays too harshly is slightly unfair.
Secondly, how good was Maddison before the injury? He was fantastic, taking the creative mantle by the scruff of the neck and scoring goals aplenty. For the first two months of 2021, Maddison registered 6 goals and 4 assists in just 12 games, scintillating form indeed. This hot streak was enough to propel him into the England discussion, with Madders earning plaudits for his honest and well-spoken interviews as well as his actual performances.
Furthermore, the transfer focus on defensive positions as well as central midfield may indicate a continuation of the 3-4-1-2 formation. If this is the case, Maddison would be able to star in his favoured number 10 position, which will get the best out of him. Despite his poor judgement at times, it’s also clear Maddison is ambitious and determined to improve from his mistakes which is encouraging for LCFC.
Even if Leicester City sell him one day, this won’t be until he has developed further, which he has the potential to. Such expectations are what frustrates Foxes fans, as we all know he can do it. It’s now just time for him to prove his doubters right.
Will he even be sold?
Maddison despite his late-season slump remains one of Leicester’s star players and one of the more valuable assets. Although Leicester City are trying to move away from the trend of selling a star every season, Maddison seems the most available compared to Leicester City’s other stars.
Currently, Arsenal and Chelsea have reported interest in signing the Englishman, although nothing concrete as yet. In fact, according to Leicester Mercury, Arsenal are unlikely to sign him due to the prohibitive price.
Ultimately, Maddison is unlikely to be sold unless two conditions are fulfilled; these being a bid of £60-70m as well as Maddison wanting to leave. At the moment, Maddison has been pictured training on holiday wearing a Leicester kit, which may quieten such talk.
With all due respect to Arsenal fans, their on-pitch performance does not make their club an attractive proposition, with pundit Dean Windass claiming a move to the Gunners would be a “backwards step”. Regardless of such talk, Maddison is a quality player and FoL have full faith that he will shine once again in an LCFC shirt next season.