Tottenham urged to make James Maddison transfer but Conte disapproves

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte previews trip to Bournemouth

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Tottenham have been urged to make a move for Leicester star James Maddison in a bid to boost their creativity woes in midfield, but they have been warned that Antonio Conte may not be a fan of the deal. Spurs have been questioned this season due to their style of play, which has often been described as negative under the Italian and with too much reliance on Harry Kane.

Conte has been hampered by injuries to Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison, forcing him to move to a 3-5-2 system with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma in the middle of the pitch.

Spurs have previously been linked with a potential move for Maddison, who has had a strong start to the season despite Leicester’s struggles at the bottom of the table, and Spurs icon Glenn Hoddle believes his former side could have a “perfect” balance in midfield with Maddison.

“That’s what every Spurs fan is crying out for,” Hoddle told talkSPORT as Maddison was discussed with a potential move to north London. “I don’t think Antonio is going to look that way, he plays with Bentancur and Hojbjerg and they are very good players.

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“But when they play together… one of them, with a creator in there, would be the perfect balance, in my opinion. Antonio wants to play two holding players and go with his firepower up front. But I think they need some creativity – because at the moment it’s down to Kane dropping in and creating. If you had [Christian] Eriksen, as an example… or Maddison, I love him.

“I think he should be in the England squad and, no disrespect to Leicester, if he was playing in a top six team, he would be sensational and an absolute shoo-in. Someone like that, who comes in off the lines… you’ve only got to look at the best teams in the country and they’ve got those players.”

Conte has recently bemoaned the lack of quality in depth that his side has, despite spending over £100million in his first summer at the club. “We are doing our best in every moment. Today [vs Newcastle] the commitment was really high,” Conte said. “We have to face a difficult situation for us. When you don’t have three or four players in the squad you’re in trouble.

“We have to manage very well this situation, and overcome it together. When you play every three days you need to have a deep, strong squad. We have only just started our process. We are playing in the Champions League. We’re trying to improve our situation step by step.”

With Richarlison and Kulusevski back in the team, Conte would likely have to switch to a four-at-the-back formation to accommodate his forwards if Maddison was signed – a tactical switch he has been reluctant to make at the club.

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