It almost seemed to be written in the stars on Saturday when James Maddison delivered the killer blow against a weary Tottenham side to give Leicester City all three points at the King Power Stadium after an end-to-end clash looked like it might fizzle out into a draw.
The Foxes’ attacking midfield man was at his scintillating best, and as England manager Gareth Southgate watched on from the stands Maddison stepped up with a wonderful goal from distance, firing one low into the corner past Paulo Gazzaniga on the 85-minute mark.
However, it seems almost poetic that the man to deliver that blow to Mauricio Pochettino’s side is a man who could very well have ended up at Spurs as opposed to Leicester. Back in December, The Standard ran a story talking about what might have been regarding the Lilywhites’ interest in Maddison, and how the fans will wish he was their player now.
It could still happen that the incredible Foxes’ attacking midfield ends up plying his trade at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but that move would have to be a big one. Last summer saw the midfield leave Norwich City for Leicester in a £20m move, BBC, and any move now would command a much bigger fee, although The Express claim it could happen with Spurs identifying Maddison as a target.
Aside from Maddison’s winning goal, he was the man in the middle of the park who kept things ticking. His passing and dribbling was top class throughout the clash as he dragged the dogged Spurs midfield around for 90 minutes, similar in the way Christian Eriksen often does for Tottenham.
With Eriksen’s future unclear, and the Dane looking for a way out of the club, the most suitable replacement put in the perfect audition on Saturday, and with January around the corner and a change of approach almost certainly on the agenda at Spurs, Maddison should be one of the first names on their wishlist.