Only three English players have scored and assisted forty-plus Premier League goals combined since the start of 2021/22, and if Harry Kane had stayed at Spurs all three of them would have resided in North London this year.
That’s because, in addition to the scarily prolific Kane, as well as Arsenal’s wing sensation Bukayo Saka, the third goal-scoring, goal-creating phenomenon across the two most recent campaigns has been Tottenham’s £40m summer signing James Maddison.
Does it make the 26-year-old’s achievement all-the-more impressive incidentally that half of his haul was attained during a period of serious regression for Leicester, that saw the Foxes relegated?
Almost certainly. After several years of oddly having doubts attached to his brilliance, nineteen direct goal involvements amidst sustained chaos and crisis at the King Power was definitive proof that Maddison is a talent of substance.
Securing this talent of substance therefore understandably had Spurs fans dreaming of what lay ahead, namely the criminally under-capped England international taking a good deal of the creative burden off England’s record goal-scorer, allowing him to focus solely on his finishing.
This was a frightening proposition given that Kane had banged in 27 last term, all while dropping deep on occasion and starting off moves.
Moreover, with Maddison scheming in trademark fashion, always full of energy and inventiveness in the final third, and never afraid of attempting high-reward through-balls, what was the betting that Kane could out-fire Erling Haaland this season, in doing so greatly increasing Spurs’ chances of reclaiming a top four place?
Factor in too, the distinct possibility of Son Heung-min rediscovering his form, inspired by the goings on around him, and the arrival of Ange Postecoglou, an attacking-minded coach intent on facilitating such adventure, and there were plenty of reasons for optimism for the Tottenham faithful over the summer months.
If nothing else, their new manager and new playmaker intimated an end to years of torpid, conservative football imposed first by Jose Mourinho, then later Antonio Conte.
Only then, of course, as we all know, the other foot came crashing down, in the form of Harry Kane leaving late in the transfer window for Bayern Munich, and with the club failing to purchase an out-and-out number nine to replace him, concerns set in that perhaps the envisioned new era would quickly become a false dawn.
After all, losing a world-class totem up front, a player who had scored or assisted 41.4% of his club’s goals since 2014, was surely going to severely dent Tottenham’s ambitions. That would be true of any club.
That this has absolutely not come to pass however can be chiefly attributed to three men, all of whom have been mentioned above.
For Postecoglou’s arrival has indeed facilitated plenty of adventure, a successful version of it too, with high turnovers, touches in the opposition box, xG per game, you name it, all rising exponentially in comparison to his predecessor.
Five games in, Spurs have averaged 2.6 goals per 90 and have taken on more shots than any other top-flight team. Rightly, from such an exhilarating start, their Premier League top four odds reflect the dramatic improvement witnessed.
As for Son, the spring in his step is back, that ebullient delight in taking on opponents that so deserted him last year, has returned in abundance. Should the Korean forward avoid injury this term, he will play a major role in the revolution underway at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But at the heart of it all, central to all of the many good things about this new incarnation of Spurs, has been Maddison.
Establishing himself from the off as his team’s creative force, one of the bargains of the last window has already claimed August’s Premier League Player of the Month, pinging 41 passes into the box and creating nine chances in that brief time.
Emboldened by two goals and two assists, the attacking midfielder has statistically been Spurs’ best and most impactful player, crucially linking up play in an area previously populated by runners.
How special it would have been to see Maddison and Kane combine, but the former is special nonetheless, and though their arch poacher will be dreadfully missed, there are still lots of reasons for the North London faithful to be optimistic going forward.
