What James Maddison said in first phone call with Ange Postecoglou before signing for Tottenham | OneFootball

James Maddison has quickly established himself as a key player under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur.

The 27-year-old became the second signing of the Aussie’s tenure after completing a £40 million switch to Tottenham from Leicester City back in June.

Maddison has already revealed how Ange Postecoglou’s promise that he’d see a ‘different Tottenham’ under his guidance inspired him to join the Aussie in north London.

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But a report from The Athletic has shared some extra details about Maddison’s conversation with Postecoglou before signing for Spurs.

And the former Leicester man’s desire to play for Tottenham convinced Postecoglou to build his team around him.

What Maddison told Postecoglou before joining Tottenham

The Athletic claims that Maddison’s desire to be Tottenham’s ‘creative director’ stood out to Postecoglou.

It was after their conversation that Postecoglou decided he would build his new-look Spurs side around the midfielder.

Postecoglou’s faith in Maddison clearly wasn’t misplaced as he came in and made an instant impact earlier this season.

The playmaker had a hand in nine goals in 11 Premier League appearances before picking up an ankle injury in early November.

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Maddison looks set to return to action imminently after returning to training last week.

It will be a huge boost for Postecoglou to have Maddison back, with Spurs currently lacking creativity in the middle of the park.

Giovani Lo Celso and Dejan Kulusevski have stepped up well in his absence but there has been a noticeable drop-off in quality in the final third.

If Maddison is able to pick up where he left off, Spurs could be in for an exciting second half of the campaign.

He was arguably playing some of the best football of his career earlier this season and Spurs were yet to suffer a defeat before he came off injured against Chelsea.