Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

‘Bonkers’ – Pundit hails transformational Tottenham signing; insists he is worth £90m ‘easy’

Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison celebrate a Tottenham goal

Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison celebrate a Tottenham goal

Former Tottenham striker Darren Bent has hailed James Maddison’s recent performances, claiming he is already worth double what the London club paid for him.

The 26-year-old was signed by Spurs this summer for a fee of £40m, rising to £45m including add-ons, and has already made a big impact.

When he arrived at Tottenham, Maddison explained his love for football and promised to channel that energy onto the pitch.

“When you start playing football as a kid, you don’t play for anything,” said Maddison.

“There’s no politics, nothing like that. You play because you love playing football and you do the things you love and you become the player you become because of what you do and what you’re good at.

“And that will never change for me. That’s non-negotiable. That’s how I play. I’m never going to change and that’s why my journey has gone like this and I’m happy to have ended up at Tottenham.”

Maddison has started all four of Tottenham’s Premier League matches this season, scoring two goals and making two assists. The London club have won three and drawn one of those games and currently sit in second-place in the table.

READ MORE: Postecoglou orders Tottenham to complete signing of Barcelona man, with big pitch needed

Darren Bent hails ‘bargain’ James Maddison

One person who has been particularly impressed with Maddison’s performances for Tottenham is Bent. He thinks that he is already worth double what Spurs paid to sign him in June.

Speaking to talkSPORT (as cited by TBR), Bent was asked if Maddison was now worth £90m.

“Easy, because he’s been that good, that impressive,” Bent replied.

He also called the £45m fee paid for his services an absolute “bargain”.

“For James Maddison, I think it’s a bargain, even at £45 million. It sounds bonkers, it’s a bargain.”

When Harry Kane left Tottenham, the challenge for Ange Postecoglou was always going to be whether or not his team can continue scoring goals prolifically.

While Maddison isn’t a centre-forward like Kane, he has still managed to average one goal contribution per game. It’s also worth noting that Tottenham didn’t play with a typical number 10 before Maddison’s arrival, and Postecoglou’s decision to do so is already paying dividends.

Whether or not Maddison can keep up his great early form remains to be seen. If he does, there is a good chance we could see Spurs finish in a top four spot or challenge for a trophy this season.

READ MORE: Ranking the Premier League clubs by their transfer net spend in 2023: Chelsea top, Man Utd above Liverpool…