James Maddison says Tottenham are the ‘perfect fit’ for him as Ange Postecoglou encourages his creative side with £45m star hungry for new season after ‘devastating’ relegation with Leicester

James Maddison takes a moment to refill a glass of water, leaving the question of the psychological impact of relegation with Leicester City hanging in the air last season.

So far, Maddison had had a twinkle in his eye as he discussed the start of a new chapter with Tottenham and the excitement of working under Ange Postecoglou following his £45 million move.

But now that Maddison, who is a self-proclaimed emotional character in this East End pub, needs a moment to collect his words to really encapsulate the pain of degradation.

“I was completely devastated,” he said. ‘You get to the point where you realize that demotion means people lose jobs; leaving the Premier League to go to the Championship, obviously the club is losing a lot of money and people are losing jobs, fewer people are working on the training pitch, things like that.

“And when you think about it that way, and of course it depends on the players on the field, it could be a bull’s eye. That’s the type of person I am, quite an emotional person, and it hit me and it was hard.

Maddison was left ‘devastated’ after Leicester were relegated on the last day of May

“But you have to dust yourself off and look ahead and when opportunities like this come along, you can’t say no to them.

“So onwards and upwards, blinders on, the hunger is back and the motivation to go and do well and prove to everyone why I signed for the club.”

Maddison is now 26, no longer the rising star Tottenham eyed when he played at Coventry City and Norwich. He arrives in North London to become the main creative midfielder.

Nine assists in the Premier League last season were better than anyone else in the Tottenham Hotspur squad – Ivan Perisic was Spurs’ top assist scorer with eight assists – and it’s up to Maddison to deliver straight away, starting at Brentford on Sunday.

“I have always had strong self-confidence and I will always stand behind myself and my own ability to succeed,” he said. “It hasn’t let me down so far, so I’ll keep that mindset and attitude.”

Maddison is told he looks and feels like a Tottenham Hotspur player: a footballer in that familiar attacking midfielder role that Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli have both excelled at at Tottenham Hotspur in recent years.

Eriksen’s mention earns a wry smile from Maddison, as here’s a player he studied closely in his teens and youth team years.

At his peak at Tottenham, Eriksen was regarded as one of Europe’s most effective creative midfielders. For Maddison, it was one of the sources of inspiration he would draw from to pave his own way to the top.

New Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou expects Maddison to be a primary creative force

Spurs will have to do without Maddison’s England teammate Harry Kane after the striker sealed his move to Bayern Munich last week

Christian was a brilliant player. I used to watch Christian when I was a little bit younger as he worked his way through the game and he was at the top of his game in the Premier League,” Maddison said, speaking at the start-of-season event of TNT Sports in London. .

“As my career was developing and he was still playing at Tottenham, playing against him, swapping shirts with him, telling him what I thought of him as a player, and that he was such a nice guy in response to that, he was definitely someone who I looked at. up, especially when I was in that teenage phase and saw players in my position at the top of their game. He was someone I looked up to, yes.’

Newcastle have made no secret of their desire to sign Maddison this summer and with Eddie Howe’s side offering Champions League football – something Tottenham doesn’t need to offer – many have been scratching their heads.

But Maddison believes in fate and the vision of ending up at Spurs has been etched in his memory for years. “I certainly do to be honest,” he says, when asked if he thinks he is a “perfect” fit for Tottenham as a club.

“When I talked to my agent in the summer about moving clubs and you get to a place where you have to make decisions and where you want to go and what you think is the best fit, I could see myself playing for Spurs.

Maddison studied Christian Eriksen’s style of football when developing his own game

“There’s a small chance for me at Tottenham Hotspur, a creative player they’ve always had, but maybe not in recent years.

“I definitely saw myself, when I made the decision, playing for Tottenham in that kit, in that stadium and being the creative player I know I can be.”

However, Postecoglou will want – and need – more from Maddison, as he has scored just once in his last 14 league appearances for Leicester as they were caught sleepwalking to the Championship.

So, with his 27th birthday in November, are his greatest days yet to come?

“No, I peaked two years ago!” says Maddison and immediately bursts into laughter.

“We’ve played a few pre-season games so far and it’s all about learning. Not just for me, but for all players, just learning how (Postecoglou) wants each role to play.

Maddison (left) with new Tottenham captain Son Heung-min (centre) and Sergio Romero

“There’s that more advanced midfield role, a No. 8 if you want to call it that, and to play between the lines and do what’s brought me to this position now.

“The way I play will not change, that’s who I am, that’s my nature, that’s who I am as a footballer and obviously he and the club like that, that’s why they brought me in.

“So (the goal is) to be that scoring, creative midfielder and that’s not an easy task, so I keep working and hopefully I can be successful.”

Destination? Maybe. But only time will tell if Tottenham finally have the Christian Eriksen successor they’ve been looking for for years.

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