Scout Report – James Maddison
Norwich City may not have enjoyed the best of campaigns this season so far but one shining light in their team has been the young James Maddison. At just 21 years of age, he has been one of the key players this term and his performances have attracted attention from the Premier League. Clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are understood to be interested in signing him and Maddison was quite a sought-after target in the recently concluded January window.
Although they missed out on him then, there is no doubt that they will be back for him once the summer window commences. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the young star’s profile.
History
Born in 1996 in Coventry, England, Maddison embarked on his youth career playing for his hometown side Coventry City. He eventually rose through the ranks and even broke into the first-team, following which he started appearing quite frequently for the club. However, that attracted attention from other teams as well and after spending 3 years playing sporadically for Coventry’s senior team, Maddison joined Norwich in 2016. Upon joining, he was loaned back to Coventry, followed by another temporary stint with Aberdeen.
He did quite well in both those spells and that provided him with a chance to break into the Norwich City first-team, which he grasped with both hands. Since then, there has been no looking back for him and he has managed to become a key member of Daniel Farke’s squad.
Playing Style
Although he is a central midfielder by trade, Maddison boasts of rich attacking capabilities. He often acts as the link between the attack and the midfield but he also seems to be quite generous when it comes to creating opportunities and surging forward to support the attack. He is technically sound, coupled with a wide array of passing abilities. He is blessed with quick feet as well. More often than not, Maddison acts as a playmaker and for a 21-year-old to play a role like that is quite impressive.
Maddison’s Future
Given his skills, it comes as no surprise that there is so much interest in him. Nippy, agile and creative, Maddison has all the makings of a top-class midfielder in the days to come. Since he has a strong foundation along with first-team experience as well, he can work wonders for whichever team he joins and it will be interesting to see who acquires his signature once the summer window rolls about.