Chelsea could bolster their midfield this summer by signing recently relegated James Maddison.
What’s the latest on James Maddison
With Leicester City resigned to life in England’s second tier, James Maddison looks set to find a new home in the Premier League, with both Arsenal and Chelsea keen on the player, per Simon Phillips’ substack.
Phillips does qualify that whilst the English “monster” – as once described by journalist Josh Bunting – is not the west London club’s primary target, but ‘the interest is real.’
Todd Boehly might need to act quick if he wants to get this deal done, as per Aaron Catterson-Reid of football.london, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested.
The Gunners have been long-term admirers of the Foxes midfielder, reportedly trying to sign him in the summer of 2021, but a price tag of £60m proved too much for Edu Gaspar and the board.
The new price widely reported for the Coventry-born midfielder is around £40m.
Whilst significantly cheaper than just two years ago, that is still a hefty fee for a player that has just been relegated and has just a year left on his current deal.
Would James Maddison be a good signing for Chelsea?
There is very little doubt over the quality of the ex-Norwich City man by this point in his career.
Despite playing for a highly dysfunctional Leicester side this year, he has still managed to perform at a consistently impressive level.
According to WhoScored, the 5 foot 9 maestro has averaged an excellent rating of 7.24 this season.
The underlying numbers also bolster his case.
According to FBref, compared to other midfielders in Europe’s top five divisions, Maddison sits in the top 1% of non-penalty goals, assists, expected non-penalty goals and assists, shot-creating actions per 90 and a plethora of other statistics.
So from a purely numbers perspective, £40m looks to be an absolute steal for a player of his quality, and his former manager Brendan Rodgers would likely agree.
Speaking after Maddison’s England call-up last November, Rogers waxed lyrical about the playmaker: “He’s a fantastic player, one of the best in the Premier League.”
England boss Gareth Southgate has also sung his praises in the past, labelling the Leicester man as “world-class” back in 2019.
With the ringing endorsements he has received from the managers he’s played for and numbers as impressive as they are, it won’t be a surprise to see Maddison leave the King Power in the summer, and Chelsea would be wise to ensure that it’s at Stamford Bridge, given the evidence above.
