James Maddison has made a flying start at Tottenham following his £40m move in the summer (Reuters)
Chelsea passed up the chance to sign James Maddison ahead of Tottenham due to their own refusal to sign players over the age of 25.
Maddison was given the green light to leave Leicester City following their relegation from the Premier League last season and Spurs ended up winning the race to sign the midfielder in June as they agreed a £40 million deal with the Foxes.
The transfer is already looking one of the best pieces of business of the summer transfer window as Maddison has made an immediate impact at Spurs with two goals and two assists in his opening four Premier League games this season.
Chelsea, meanwhile, were also in the market for some more creative spark this summer but opted not to make a move for Maddison.
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea’s transfer strategy this summer was to sign players who are aged 25 or below, which ruled out a bid for Maddison as he turns 27 in November.
James Maddison has two goals and two assists in his opening four Premier league games for Spurs (Getty)
Maddison scored a fine goal in Spurs’ 5-2 win over Burnley on Saturday and speaking after the game, Ange Postecoglou hailed the midfielder’s impact on and off the pitch.
‘I’ve only got to know him recently as a person but he’s a very strong, resilient guy,’ Postcoglou said.
‘He’s mentally strong and he likes, not to be targeted, but he wants the ball and he wants to be in those situations, he has that quality.
‘I thought today was a real testament to Sonny, Madders and Romero. They all scored but those three I’ve thrust into leadership positions and the way they’ve embraced that responsibility with not only words but actions, not just on game day but on a daily basis and that’s as encouraging for me as anything because as fantastic players as they are individually they’ve all really bought into that team ethic.
‘Madders is one of those. He is so creative and today he showed how clinical he is in front of goal and his preparedness to work hard for the team I think is a great example.’
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This is looking like a major error from Chelsea.