The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Judith Benjamin
Having flown in through a fierce tropical storm and trained on Saturday night through a torrential downpour, James Maddison warmed happily to the prospect of ending Tottenham’s infamous drought.
‘I’m here to win,’ said Maddison as he fielded questions for the first time as a Spurs player, on the eve of a preseason friendly against former club Leicester.
‘I know a lot of people talk a lot about how long it’s been since Tottenham won a trophy, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe we could win.
‘I know from the manager and the quality of the other players in the squad that we have what it takes to win. That mentality, wanting to win, trying to win, that’s what I’ve seen so far so I’m definitely here to win.’
The clock is at 15 years and counting since Spurs last won a competition, the League Cup, their only piece of silver this century.
James Maddison is looking to help Tottenham end their trophy drought after his summer move
Tottenham paid £45m to sign Maddison from Leicester this summer following their relegation
Maddison was speaking to the media for the first time during Spurs pre-season tour
Precisely this lack of success has fuelled the uncertainty around Harry Kane’s future. He is tempted by a move to serial winners Bayern Munich as his contract runs into its final year. Despite this, Maddison, an FA Cup winner during five years at Leicester, knows his transfer will only increase expectations.
‘Every person comes to a point in life when you have to make decisions,’ he replied, when asked about early conversations with Tottenham’s new boss Ange Postecoglou.
‘I don’t want to give out details of the conversations, but I’m an ambitious guy. Always have been. I’m hungry to do well, driven from within and that’s something the manager shares.
‘When you have a decision to make about where my next path would lead, the first chat with the manager was brilliant and told me stuff I was almost thinking, and it made it very easy.’
Maddison was selected for England’s World Cup squad but an injury meant he did not make an appearance in Qatar before Gareth Southgate’s team went out in the quarter-finals.
‘That was a frustrating period,’ said the 26-year-old. ‘Being injured for the first couple of weeks of the tournament obviously makes it harder to get in the manager’s plans when they’re playing so well.
‘But that period in Qatar will live with me forever. The experiences gained, and sometimes in life, you need setbacks. They keep you hungry. Keep you motivated. Just being there, and seeing what it was like back home and being part of that team will live with me forever.’
With the Euro 2024 finals next summer, Southgate will hope the move to Tottenham and the vision of Postecoglou develops his talent in the way Jack Grealish has blossomed since joining Manchester City from Aston Villa.
‘I can only take care of what I do,’ added Maddison. ‘I’ve been in the England squad and I want that to continue. That’s what we all strive for, representing your country at a major tournament is the pinnacle.
‘How do I do that? I do that through working hard and playing well for Tottenham. That’s the basic, that’s the foundation, and that mind-set won’t change.
Maddison chats with former Leicester teammate Jamie Vardy ahead of their pre-season clash
It’s a big season for Maddison who aims to stay in the England squad for next summers Euros
‘Those are the morals I’ve had since I was a boy and nothing will change the way I play and the hunger I have for the game. If that takes me to another level then brilliant.’
In his first friendly, against West Ham in Austraila, Postecoglou deployed Maddison on the left side of a midfield trio. The new Spurs boss is committed to flair and adventure and says he’s keen to minimise the reliance on Kane and Heung-min Son with creativity and goals in midfield.
It is different to his usual role at international level. Southgate prefers to use him in a front three but he does not anticipate this causing complications.
‘Gareth has said I can play in that forward line, I don’t think means I am a forward,’ said Maddison. ‘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 433. If that’s what the manager wants me to do that’s what I’ll do.
‘If he wants me to play on the left wing that’s what I’ll do. If he wants me to play right back that’s what I’ll do. I’m hoping he doesn’t but I’ll work if he does. I’ll play wherever but my strengths are between the lines and I hope that’s going to be enough to get me in the team.’
