Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder James Maddison has not played a full 90 minutes for the club since tearing his ACL at the end of the 2024/25 season, and now that Xavi Simons has torn his own ACL at the end of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, Spurs need Madders more than ever in 2026/27 in Roberto De Zerbi's first full season at the helm of the club.
So far in the preseason, Maddison has been getting plenty of tune up action, but Spurs are obviously playing it safe and restricting his minutes as he works his way back to full strength. But even in the early going, Maddison has honestly done little to show that he is ready to be at full gear, and there is a real sense that Conor Gallagher is going to start the season as De Zerbi's main No. 10 until the former Leicester City man can prove he is near his 100 percent.
Even when he is not at 100 percent, Maddison is clearly superior to the other Tottenham players in terms of his vision, technical quality, passing ability, and creativity. But while those things are important, especially as a No. 10, they are not the only things that De Zerbi needs to see.
Tottenham need James Maddison at his best
Tottenham Hotspur need James Maddison to be fit and sharp. He needs to be sprightly on the ball, active defensively, and showing that he can be trusted for a full 90 minutes. Spurs fans need Madders to make that statement on the pitch in September so that they can feel secure that the man pulling the strings for this attack is at his best.
Spurs need Maddison. So far, they have not signed a single new attacking player, and while they are fully expected to land Savinho, Cody Gakpo, and/or a new striker, nothing is guaranteed in football - and Spurs have been pursuing the Manchester City winger for at least a year to no avail. So whether or not Spurs sign those new attacking talents, they are still going to need Maddison as their primary creator and a secondary scoring option when the 2026/27 Premier League season gets under way.
Now, it is natural for Maddison to still need a little bit of time to shake off the rust and get back to his best, but that can only be a little bit of time. Tottenham fans are waiting for the announcement on the field that Madders is back and in fine form.
Add us as a preferred source on Google