Former Tottenham scout Bryan King believes James Maddison is not happy at Spurs after yet another early withdrawal against Crystal Palace.
The England midfielder joined the North London club from Leicester City last summer for £40m and made an instant impact, winning the Premier League Player of the Month award for August after registering three goals and five assists in his first nine matches.
However, his form derailed after suffering an injury against Chelsea, and struggled to return to his best form since then.
This season, his performances have improved but he has been not been able to be as impactful as he was.
Bryan King: James Maddison did not look happy
He was taken off at half-time against West Ham last week, with Ange bringing Pape Matar Sarr on in his place as part of a tactical tweak. The bold move from the Australian resulted in suggestions that he will not shy away from dropping Maddison if needed.
And the former Leicester City man was once again withdrawn early, near the 60-minute mark against Palace – a game they lost 1-0.
King noted that Maddison did not look happy at all with Ange’s decision to bring him off.
Speaking to Tottenham News, he said:
“Spurs looked a very ordinary team against Palace.”
“We hardly saw any of the attacking players. Maddison was a disappointment again. There was a moment during the first half where I thought he could have scored. However, he seemed to get his feet into a bit of a mess.”
“He just looked out of sorts, to be honest. And by the look of his reaction when he got pulled off just past the hour mark, he doesn’t look happy at all.”
Is Maddison fighting for his career at Spurs?
The recent situation with Maddison has prompted speculations over his long-term future at the club. Tony Cascarino recently suggested that the midfielder is fighting for his career at Spurs already, after only a season.
The 27-year-old has shown his quality consistently in the Premier League during his time at Leicester City. Fans will be hoping that the player can return to his pre-injury form.
