James Maddison holds the key! ‘Unique’ Spurs star can unlock true potential as ex-Tottenham midfielder admits injury-ravaged playmaker has been missed ‘terribly’

Former Leicester midfielder Maddison sat out 375 days after being forced to undergo surgery on a serious knee problem. He returned to action in May 2026 and ultimately helped Roberto De Zerbi to steer a course towards Premier League safety.

Big money was invested during the last transfer window, with the most ambitious of outfits attempting to spend their way out of trouble. Little return has been seen so far, with two points being collected through four goalless top-flight outings this term.

Maddison has stepped off the bench in two of those fixtures, and a Carabao Cup defeat at Liverpool, with no unnecessary risks being taken on the classy 29-year-old after seeing him pick up a shoulder knock. There will, however, come a point when a calculated gamble on starting berths must be made.

Lavish additions Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes boast plenty of their own qualities, but could be considered relatively similar when it comes to filling roles in the engine room. A sprinkling of magic dust is required in that area of the field.

Maddison would provide that, with the ability to pick tight defensive locks and conjure up a moment of match-altering brilliance when standing over a dead ball, and De Zerbi cannot afford to hold him back much longer as pressure begins to build again in north London.

Asked if Maddison could be the answer to at least some of Spurs’ problems, ex-Tottenham star Murphy - who was speaking in association with Snabbare - told GOAL: “I've been a big fan of James Maddison for a long, long time because I like players who take risks and have an arrogance about them on the pitch. And Tottenham are crying out for creativity and they’ve missed him terribly when he's been injured.

“Now, when you look at who they brought in, none of them really, you would say, have the same attributes as Maddison. So, he's still quite unique in that squad. And I think when you look at their first four games, although [Omar] Marmoush and Savio have looked lively in the last couple, I know they haven't scored, but they do look like good additions. They do need someone to feed them.

“The problem is when someone’s been out for a long time, it's hard to know his levels of fitness and stuff. I don't know. I'm not seeing him train, De Zerbi is. But would I be putting Maddison in at the moment when you need some of that? A hundred percent.

“And I think Tottenham fans are crying out for him because he is one player - [Mohammed] Kudus is another, but in a different way, because he does it from a wider area - Maddison has the vision and he has the courage to risk the ball and take the groans and the moans and the disappointment of failing.

“He's great on set plays as well. He scores goals himself. I'd be really surprised if we didn't see Maddison soon in the starting line-up, because for me, he's still their most creative presence.”

Tottenham have one more game, at home to Aston Villa on Saturday, to take in before reaching the first international break of 2026-27. It may be that Maddison is restricted to another cameo appearance in that contest.

He will, however, then have three weeks on the training ground in which to ready himself for the resumption of domestic action. By the time that Spurs take to the field again at Old Trafford against Manchester United on October 10, their mercurial No.10 should be raring to go.