Tottenham linked with 21 year old Norwich midfielder

I know, I know — it’s the January transfer window and Tottenham Hotspur are probably not going to sign anyone this month because they just aren’t. But that won’t stop us from taking a look at some of the more fun transfer rumors that are floating out there, waiting to be discovered.

Take this one for example. One day after Marcus Edwards signed with Norwich City on loan for the rest of the season to replace another Tottenham academy grad, Alex Pritchard (who is now with Huddersfield), Tottenham are linked with one of Edwards’ new teammates. According to the Standard, Spurs are taking a good, long look at 21-year old attacking midfielder James Maddison.

A product of Coventry’s academy, Maddison moved to the Canaries in 2016 and has emerged as one of Norwich’s most exciting young players. Regularly deployed in the hole at Norwich, he started last season as a reserve player and was loaned out to Aberdeen in the Scottish Premier League, where he played well. This season, he’s broken out, scoring 8 goals and notching 8 assists in the Championship season already.

He’s also an England youth international, which is to say he has one cap for the England U21s from this past November.

Outside the Boot did a very nice analysis of him in November, noting that he’s adept both in the hole and in the pivot, with an excellent passing range and the ability to put in a very good tackle. He’s becoming particularly good at linking the midfield with attack, has vision that outstrips his years, and is also dangerous from dead-ball situations.

If you’re saying to yourself “Gosh, that sounds an awful lot like Christian Eriksen,” well, me too. Further to that point, here’s his obligatory YouTube highlights video, replete with bad royalty-free house music.

The Championship isn’t the Premier League, of course, and this is the first time we’ve seen this kind of performance out of Maddison in his young career, but he seems to hit the sweet spot of the kind of young, attacking midfield player Spurs like to target. It’s also put him on the radars of Leicester, Manchester City, and (yes) Liverpool.

The Standard suggest that after losing Pritchard they’re probably not going to want to sell Maddison, but he looks like he might quickly become too good for the Championship. The article suggests that he could command a £20m transfer fee, and that Spurs might sanction a loan-back for the rest of the season, if they decide to pull the trigger.

Look, I dunno if this is a thing or not. It’s the transfer mill — it’s from a decent source, but like most transfer rumors, there’s no direct sourcing and no quotes. But I’ll tell you what I do know: as far as 21-year old midfield prospects playing in the Championship go, there sure does seem to be an awful lot to like about James Maddison. I’m kinda into him, and would like to subscribe to his newsletter.