James Maddison reacts to Dom Solanke’s message as ex-Tottenham star spotted
James Maddison spotted a former Tottenham Hotspur player who featured in Dominic Solanke’s latest social media post.
Solanke has been a regular fixture in his first season at Spurs, featuring in 33 of the Lilywhites’ 46 matches so far in what has largely been a campaign to forget for Ange Postecoglou and his players.
Having become Tottenham’s record signing with last summer’s £65million move from Bournemouth, Solanke has netted 11 goals in all competitions so far at a rate of one every three games in North London.
Last month also saw him become a member of Thomas Tuchel’s maiden England squad; with Solanke called up as the only out-and-out striker, other than record goalscorer and Spurs legend Harry Kane.
Maddison had no such luck; left out of England contention over the international break, and while Solanke and Morgan Gibbs-White’s lack of minutes were criticised, Maddison remains behind them in the pecking order.
Forgotten Tottenham star spotted in Solanke message
Solanke will be hoping to end the season on a high with Tottenham after his big-money move from Bournemouth, and with Postecoglou under pressure, Andoni Iraola arriving would be music to his ears.
The 27-year-old had a busy time of things last month, with his two-week spell at St. George’s Park on international duty one of several trips made away from Tottenham, including one at Disneyland Paris.
Posting on Instagram with a flurry of 15 photos taken across the month of March, Solanke also met up former England Under-21s team-mate Kyle Walker-Peters, who left Spurs for Southampton back in 2020.
Having noticed Walker-Peters – whose Saints side are on course for relegation back to the Championship – in one of Solanke’s photos, Maddison tagged the full-back and said: “KWP, knew you’d be in there somewhere.”
James Maddison needs to step up for Tottenham
Having been snubbed for international duty amid inconsistent form this season, Maddison still had a busy break of his own, keeping in touch with his Tottenham team-mates as he trained and played golf.
Walker-Peters and Solanke are arguably both warning signs for Maddison; given the former’s two caps both came in 2022 and Solanke experienced a seven-year gap between England appearances after 2017.
| Player | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists | Yellow/Red Cards |
| James Maddison | 38 | 25 | 11 | 7 | 8 |
Maddison’s absence from the England setup – having not won a cap since before Euro 2024 – reflects the sheer strength in depth available for Tuchel, but is also an indictment of his recent performances.
The 28-year-old’s billing as Tottenham’s “creative genius” looks a long way off at present, and with Gibbs-White, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers’ stocks all higher than his, it remains to be seen when he adds to his meagre seven caps.