What to expect from Maddison at Spurs

James Maddison (£7.5m) made his move from Leicester to Spurs earlier in July. The transfer has excited FPL managers who see the potential for a good mid-priced Spurs attacker. Is Maddison a good option for managers in one of their five midfield slots? What should managers expect from Maddison at Spurs this season? We take a look.

At the start of the 2022/23 season Maddison was priced at £8.0m in the game. This I came off the back of his best ever FPL season in the 2021/22 season were he registered 181 FPL points.

Season	Starts (sub apps)	Minutes	Goals	Assists	Bonus	FPL points
2022/23	28 (2)	2479	10	9	9	135
2021/22	28 (7)	2454	12	11	24	181
2020/21	24 (7)	2093	8	7	12	133
2019/20	29 (2)	2624	6	5	14	125
2018/19	35 (1)	2831	7	7	12	137

Courtesy of the Fantasy Football Scout Members Area

During the 22/23 season Maddison made 28 starts for Leicester, returning 10 goals and nine assists for the Foxes. Over the course of his last three Premier league season’s Maddison has registered 57 attacking returns.

Spurs v Leicester

Over his five seasons in FPL Maddison has been highly consistent with his FPL returns. However, will FPL managers see an increase in his productivity now that he is a Spurs player?

During the 2022/23 season Spurs had 518 attempts on goal, 100 more than the 418 Leicester managed. In addition Spurs also averaged a chance every 7.1 minutes during the 22/23 season, this is contrasted to a chance every 8.7 minutes for Leicester. This suggests that Maddison is joining a more attacking team, which should therefore have a positive impact on his potential for FPL returns.

Spurs also scored 16 goals from set plays last season, the third best in the league. Leicester managed nine. Spurs have good headers of the ball as well as good target men who can convert free kicks. With Maddison likely to take on responsibilities for free kicks at Spurs, his assist potential looks to be elevated in North London.

Benefits of Maddison in FPL

Maddison is a great asset for his Premier League managers due to the variety of positions that he can be deployed in. During the 22/23 campaign he was used as a no. 8, behind a main striker as a no. 10 and off the right of the front three. His best position is arguably in the number 10 which is where he is likely to play at Spurs.

Maddison is always looking to be a creative force within his teams with lots of forward passes. Comfortable using either foot and has excellent technique and passing ability. This ability to pick out long passes and move through the channels will fit in well with Postecoglou‘s style of play.

During the 22/23 season Maddison had an expected goals (xG) tally of 8.69 and an expected assist (xA) of 5.74. He had 1628 touches of the ball, with 768 of those coming in the final third of the pitch. The midfielder also had 109 penalty area touches during the 22/23 campaign.

He played in 13 through balls for his Leicester team mates as well as creating 69 chances for them. His set piece responsibility also saw him take 69 corners as well as 17 free kicks.

With a £0.5m price drop this season, as well as good underlying stats even when playing in an underperforming Leicester side, Maddison looks to have huge benefits for FPL managers.

What to expect from Maddison at Spurs?

In Postecoglou’s more attacking Spurs team Maddison could be vital. He is likely to have the role of the number 10 behind Harry Kane (£12.5m) who he has played with on international duty multiple times. Maddison is also likely to work well alongside the likes of Dejan Kulusevski (£7.0m) and Son Heung-min (£9.0m) who tend to operate in the wider spaces.

Spurs are traditionally successful from set pieces and Maddison should only add to their potential for goals from these. At £7.5m Maddison also enables managers to free budget to invest in other assets across their 15 man squads. With the potential for goals and assists as a consistent FPL returner, and allowing budget to be spread elsewhere Maddison has the potential to be a great enabler in opening weeks where the fixtures are good for Spurs and he is currently in 17.3% of teams.