Chelsea ‘refused’ to sign £40m Tottenham star for one reason despite Poch being a ‘huge admirer’
According to reports, Chelsea ‘refusing to sign anybody over the age of 25’ ruled them out of the race to buy Tottenham Hotspur attacker James Maddison.
The England international was always likely to leave Leicester City following their relegation from the Premier League after he contributed ten goals and nine assists for the Foxes last season in the top flight.
Newcastle United have been heavily linked with Maddison over the past year but he ended up securing himself a move to Spurs.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed a dream start at Tottenham as he’s grabbed two goals and two assists in their opening four Premier League games.
Despite his great form for Leicester, Maddison was not pursued by Chelsea. According to The Telegraph, he was ‘not considered’ by the Blues because they ‘refused to sign anybody over the age of 25’.
This is also claimed by Football Insider, who say ‘Chelsea cleared the path for Tottenham to sign Maddison because he did not fit the profile of their summer targets. They add.
‘Mauricio Pochettino is a huge admirer of Maddison, the marquee Spurs summer signing, but his age – 26 – ruled him out as a potential target.
‘That allowed Tottenham to compete a deal in which their main competition came from Newcastle United.’
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Spurs have three wins and a draw from their first four Premier League games. They put on a show at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon as they hammered newly-promoted Burnley 5-2.
Maddison scored a great goal from outside of the penalty area, while Heung-Min Son netted an impressive hat trick.
Speaking post-match, Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou indicated that they are “still building” when he was asked if Son’s stellar performance proves that they can cope without Harry Kane.
“No, it’s not exactly why but it’s one of the reasons. I’ve got a picture in my head about what I want the team to look like and I keep saying we’re still at the beginning of it.
“We’re still building and there’s a lot to be done. It’s about putting all the pieces together. There are some really good footballers in this club and they have the ability to play in the way this team needs to set up.
“Sonny, whether he’s playing central or right, he’s got all the characteristics to play the way we want to play.”
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The article Chelsea ‘refused’ to sign £40m Tottenham star for one reason despite Poch being a ‘huge admirer’ appeared first on Football365.com.