Tottenham Hotspur are a better team when James Maddison plays than when he does not. That point has been highlighted to Spurs time and time again this season, as the Lilywhites won both of the games that he started, including their first win of the season against Coventry City when the starting No. 10 was the most decisive player on the pitch.
But even though Spurs need a star No. 10, Maddison won't be the starter when Xavi Simons comes back, and if Spurs fans were to have their way, he would even be replaced for Morgan Gibbs-White or Nico Paz - two younger, healthier, and simply better attacking playmakers in the modern game.
Because while Maddison is a great player and someone who loves the club, the 29 year old is technically part of the problem. As he nears 30, Maddison has only been healthy enough to start a couple of games this season, and even though it has been 18 months since he tore his ACL at the end of the 2024/25 season, he still can't seem to get healthy.
James Maddison simply isn't available
Tottenham Hotspur have a handful of players who qualify as stars, and Maddison is actually the most sellable of them because of his inability to stay on the pitch. Dejan Kulusevski has his own injury issues and has not been as good recently, but if he gets fully fit and shows sharpness, peak Kulu before the injury is hard to deny. And he offers more postional versatility. Mohammed Kudus has his qualms in the final third, but he is more explosive and more present on the pitch. And Pedro Porro, prior to these recent injuries, looked like the best right back on the planet for Spain at the World Cup.
James Maddison is a technical wizard and often looks a cut above the rest of his teammates on the pitch in terms of his chance creation and intelligence. But none of that matters if he is not on the pitch, and if Tottenham could sell him for another technical wizard who can actually give them 20-30 games in a Premier League season, then they would do that deal in a heartbeat.
Tottenham are a better team with Maddison, but, in general, they are a better team with any No. 10. And if he can't do the job every week, then he falls into that Destiny Udogie zone of a wonderful player who just isn't wonderful enough for Tottenham because of the injuries.
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