Tottenham Hotspur have taken another step forward in the transfer season, announcing the signing of Leicester City midfielder James Maddison on a five-year deal for a transfer fee of £45 million (HK$446 million). The 26-year-old England international was once dubbed "anti-Tottenham" for his unfavorable comments about the club on social media, but has recently mysteriously deleted his posts in an "image reshuffle".
With the unfortunate relegation of Leicester City to the Championship, a number of the team's core players have been looking for another way out. James Maddison, regarded as the team's most important asset, was once the focus of competition between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. However, Newcastle United's recent signing of AC Milan midfielder Sindo Donnelly has removed them from the race, creating an opportunity for Tottenham to sign James Maddison at a lower price. James Maddison's price has plummeted by more than 40% from a year ago, making this move a steal for Spurs.
In the just past Premier League season, James Maddison made 30 appearances for the team, contributing 10 goals and 9 assists. Upon joining Tottenham Hotspur, he will be earning a whopping £170,000 (about HK$1.68 million) weekly salary. Interestingly, however, James Maddison has a long history of social media vitriol towards Tottenham Hotspur. 2012 saw him taunt Tottenham star Gareth Barry as a "monkey" on Twitter, suggesting that ex-Arsenal midfielder Wayne Rooney was 10 times better than Barry, and 2013 saw him once again take to Twitter to express his hope that Liverpool's Liverpool team would be able to win the game. In 2013, he again tweeted that he wanted Liverpool striker Luis Suarez to "shoot up" Tottenham.
