IT’S not often Premier League clubs dip into the Championship to sign a player but it’s not often they’re as special as Norwich City star James Maddison either.
A sensation in the Championship this season, no fewer than six Premier League sides are tracking the 21-year-old.
Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City are leading the race to sign the player, while Everton, Brighton and Southampton are all monitoring the midfielder’s situation.
So who is this talent that has got clubs on such high alert? Our friends at Football Whispers offer some insight into the high-flying Canaries star.
Who is James Maddison and where does he come from?
Maddison came through the youth ranks at Coventry City and after impressing with their Under-18 side he was handed his debut with the first team while still just 17.
On his debut, a 4-1 defeat to Oldham in October 2014, Maddison also scored his first professional goal with a free-kick.
Soon after, the club handed the talented youngster a professional three-year-deal.
In the summer of 2016, Norwich took the plunge, signing Maddison before loaning him back to Coventry. He also had a spell in the SPL with Aberdeen.
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Now an established Championship player, those periods out on loan playing regularly have been key in his development.
“I started lower down the leagues with Coventry, so I’d had that taste of first-team action at a young age,” he said.
“I’d already played 40 or 50 games before moving on and when I got to Norwich I had to bide my time at the start.
“I asked the manager [Alex Neil] if I could go on loan because I’m the type of footballer who loves playing and I don’t want to be sat on the bench or in the stands.
Maddison’s route through the lower leagues has drawn comparisons to Dele Alli, who also plied his trade in League One before joining Tottenham.
Alli, who came through MK Dons’ academy, showed how beneficial exposure to regular first-team football at a young age could be.
Rather than playing age-group football into his late teens, Maddison was in the first team regularly with Coventry and Aberdeen.
It proved vital in his footballing education, and explains why he’s so accustomed to the rigours of the Championship despite being just 21.
He turned down a move to Liverpool in January 2016 when they came in for him, instead deciding to stick it out at Coventry before a better opportunity with more first team football on offer came up.
It did too, as Norwich came calling just a few months later.
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At Carrow Road he’s become a key figure in the team, first playing in a deeper midfield role where he would build play from the back.
Now, though, he’s in his favoured No10 position, and from there he’s able to do damage to opponents with his brilliant array of abilities.
On first viewing could even pass for a Spanish creative midfielder – there has even been comparisons with Real Madrid star Isco from some quarters.
Maddison has been a sensation in the Championship this season, picking apart opponents and gliding past them with delicate ease.
One minute he can slip past you with an injection of pace, the next with skill. He has plenty in his locker and it makes him a nightmare to defend against.
So far he has 14 goals and eight assists to his name, with Norwich currently locked at mid-table. He won’t be there much longer.
Where is his most likely destination?
Judging by his attitude, the club who can offer him the most regular minutes and support in terms of aiding his development as a player.
“My ambition is to play in the Premier League, like every player,” he said. “But I’m at the stage of my career now where I’m happy to be playing games.
“It’s about showing the world what I can do at this level at the moment, and hopefully I can play at the top of the game whenever I get there.”
Previously a Liverpool transfer target, Arsenal and Spurs have a proven track record with developing youngsters.
Manchester City would, of course, rely upon Pep Guardiola’s pull, and his track record at Barcelona’s famed school La Masia.
How much will he cost?
Norwich took in £12m when they sold Jacob Murphy to Newcastle last summer, so it would need to be significantly more than that to prise him away from Carrow Road.
Recent reports claim the Canaries have slapped a huge £25m price tag on their star midfielder which gives an idea of how highly they do value him.
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