Manchester City were said to be very keen on signing James Maddison from Leicester this summer.
That was according to Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail – who claims that the Citizens did not sell players quickly enough to swoop for the England international, before Tottenham moved fast.
Now, nine football agents have made a claim about James Maddison which may be of interest to Manchester City fans…
What’s the story?
Well, a number of agents have anonymously told The Athletic that they believe the Tottenham No.10 is the best signing of the summer by far.
Spurs moved quickly to wrap up a £40m deal with Leicester after the Foxes were relegated to the Championship, and Maddison has taken to life in north London like a duck to water.
The 26-year-old has scored two goals and provided two assists in just four Premier League appearances so far.
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One agent said: “James Maddison. At that level, even before the season had started, I thought it was, pound for pound, the best deal.”
Another added: “He stayed at Leicester too long but Spurs looks the right move for him… Maddison looks re-energised, and from a Spurs point of view, it was a good deal at a really good price.”
Of course, Manchester City fans are highly unlikely to be crying into their pillows about this, as exciting talents such as Josko Gvardiol and Jeremy Doku arrived at the Etihad Stadium this summer.
Nevertheless, it is still interesting to hear that Maddison has been voted the No.1 signing after Pep Guardiola expressed an interest in his services.
Who Manchester City could sign instead of James Maddison next summer
Guardiola eventually moved to sign another ball carrier in Mateo Kovacic as Tottenham snapped up Maddison, and the Croatia international’s dribbling skills should give the Citizens a new dimension – the same goes for Matheus Nunes.
However, Manchester City still sound keen to sign another confident dribbler, as Lucas Paqueta and Eberechi Eze were strongly linked with moves to the Etihad Stadium.
According to The Athletic, the Crystal Palace No.10 was considered, but Guardiola decided against a move due to his preference for a smaller squad, and also to avoid blocking the pathway for Kevin De Bruyne’s return.
As reported by Sky Sports, an £80m deal for Paqueta was close, although that died down following a FA and FIFA betting investigation.
Nevertheless, it certainly sounds as if Guardiola wants to add another creative midfielder to his squad at some point in the near future, especially as De Bruyne is now 32, and Bernardo Silva could leave in 2024.