‘James Maddison’s Tottenham future in doubt following Eberechi Eze update’
The future of Tottenham midfielder James Maddison is uncertain following a transfer update around Eberechi Eze.
Eze is the subject of interest from Spurs, and the Palace midfielder has a £68milion release clause in his contract which the club could activate.
The 26-year-old has spent five seasons at Selhurst Park and scored eight Premier goals last campaign for the club.
Eze also scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final as Palace beat Manchester City at Wembley to win their first ever major trophy.
A transfer to North London could have consequences for Maddison’s future at the club.
Eze signing depends on Guehi future
Maddison joined Spurs just two seasons ago for £40m from Leicester, but with the potential of Thomas Frank making Eze his first signing at the club, the 28-year-old may be forced to depart.
Transfer correspondent Olly Clink of talkSPORT has confirmed the interest from Spurs in signing Eze, but says the future of Marc Guehi may have an impact on any deal.
Clink said: “We understand Guehi has no plans to sign a new deal at Palace so Guehi may decide to run down his final year, which he might do because there are clubs like Bayern Munich and Barcelona interested in getting Guehi on a free.
“If that is the case Palace might be tempted to cash in on Eze, we do know if Spurs get any deal done they want to pay his release clause in instalments.
“The funny thing about Eze coming into Spurs is what it would do to James Maddison because they both like to play in the ten position.
“Eze can play out on the left-hand side, but it certainly would provide a lot of competition for Maddison if Eze were to come through the door.”
| Player | Eze | Maddison |
| Appearances | 34 | 31 |
| Goals | 8 | 9 |
| Assists | 8 | 7 |
Frank has explored signing a winger this summer, but Bryan Mbuemo is expected to join Manchester United and Bournemouth are holding out for £70m for Antoine Semenyo.
The Dane already looks like he has missed out on one signing this summer after Arsenal agreed a deal to sign Christian Norgaard, who he wanted to reunite with at Spurs.
Patience may be key for Spurs
The latest update on Spurs’ pursuit of Eze signals that patience may be key.
Guehi is expected to leave Palace this summer, with Liverpool one of the interested parties potentially in need of a centre-back if Konate departs.
However, if Guehi decides to stay, a deal for Eze may be easier to negotiate as Palace would not want to miss out on a high transfer fee if they are to lose one of their other key assets on a free.
Spurs therefore will have to wait and see what develops and maybe be forced to wait until the final weeks of the transfer window to secure a deal.
Frank may not be willing to wait and may pursue other targets, but Eze’s technical ability and versatility would improve Spurs’ attack.
Eze arriving could mean limited opportunities for Maddison, with both preferring to play in the number 10 position, which would create a problem for Frank.
Maddison wouldn’t be short of offers from Premier League clubs should he be transfer listed and they may decide that to be the best option.