Glenn Hoddle has admitted he was keen for Tottenham Hotspur to sign James Maddison three years ago and play the midfielder alongside Harry Kane.
James Maddison completed a long-awaited £40 million switch to Spurs over the summer after the north Londoners had been interested in signing the midfielder for a number of years.
Tottenham fans were excited by the prospect of Maddison linking up with their all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane.
Spurs had been lacking a creative midfielder to provide for Kane in the final third, particularly after Christian Eriksen’s departure.
Of course, it wasn’t meant to be as the Englishman secured a move to Bayern Munich over the summer.
But Glen Hoddle has claimed he was desperate for his former club to snap up Maddison three years ago to play with Kane.
Hoddle wanted Tottenham to sign Maddison three years ago
Speaking on Football’s Greatest, Hoddle admitted he wishes he got to see Maddison and Kane linking up at Spurs.
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“I said about Maddison three years ago,” the Tottenham legend said. “I wish he’d have gone to Tottenham then and played with Harry Kane, to be honest.
“But for me, him and Foden, Foden is a great player, I’d have had him in there [the England squad] a lot earlier, ahead of Mount. He’s a better player than a lot of the players who have been given more chances.
“He’s a 10. He’s a real 10 that can open teams up, he’s got the ability to score goals, he’s got the ability to create goals. He understands the game, he’s going into his peak, so defensively he knows what the team needs from him.
“At the moment, I think he’s ripe and he’s got that little bit of difference, that ability to change a game. What he hasn’t got in an England shirt, yet, is I don’t think he’s got quite the approval yet [from the management].”
While Maddison has excelled without Kane at the club, it would have been brilliant to see the duo link up at Tottenham.
Kane was often forced to drop deep for Spurs during the latter stages of his spell at the club.
The 30-year-old took on the creative burden after Eriksen’s departure and had he played alongside Maddison, he would have likely managed to score even more frequently for Tottenham.
Nevertheless, both players are thriving at their new clubs and Maddison has formed a strong relationship with Kane’s former strike partner Son.