Rio Ferdinand has suggested that he would be gutted if he was James Maddison after joining Tottenham Hotspur just as Harry Kane heads out of the door.
Ferdinand was speaking on his YouTube channel after the 26-year-old made his competitive debut for Spurs in their 2-2 draw with Brentford on Sunday.
James Maddison was certainly the star of the show as Ange Postecoglou’s side opened their account with a positive display. The England international provided both of the assists for the visitors at the Gtech Community Stadium, including a sumptuous free-kick for Cristian Romero’s header.
It is an exciting glimpse into what may be to come for Maddison at Tottenham. However, Ferdinand believes that he may already be regretting his decision to move to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – due to Harry Kane’s departure last week.
“I would be absolutely gutted if I was him, if I was James Maddison,” he told his YouTube channel. “‘I’m going to top the assists table. I’m going to be playing alongside the England captain’. And now Harry Kane’s done a runner.
“He was probably promised on his way in, I reckon that would have been one of his questions, ‘are we going to keep the squad together? Are we keeping Kane? Are we keeping Son?”
Maddison would have moved to Tottenham well aware that Kane could leave. Obviously, he probably would have hoped that the 30-year-old would stay for at least one more year. Clearly, they could have formed such a devastating partnership.
But Maddison knows how football works. And he may well have spoken to Kane on England duty, or in the weeks following his own move to Spurs. So he would known that there was a chance that the striker could go.
Clearly, it has not put Maddison off. He has already become the club’s vice-captain. And he ended up wearing the armband towards the end on Sunday when Son Heung-min and Romero were already off the pitch.
If anything, Maddison looks ready to seize the opportunity to become Tottenham’s talisman. And if Spurs can make one or two more exciting signings in the final stages of the window, then it could still be a fantastic season for the club.
