Southampton: Losing out on James Maddison is a bitter pill to swallow

Reports this morning have suggested that Norwich’s James Maddison has chosen a move to Leicester over Southampton.

That’s according to Sky Sources at least, who for the best part tend to be on the ball when it comes to news regarding the Saints.

Just the other day it was reported that Southampton had had a bid of £20+ million accepted by the Canaries for the youngster, however by morning news had broke that Leicester had matched the Saints’ record bid for the midfielder.

And now it seems as if the 21-year-old playmaker has chosen a move to the Foxes over one to the south coast – a bitter pill to swallow for Southampton supporters.

After a month without any real transfer progress, Maddison was the first player that the Saints were really strongly linked with, and many thought the deal was as good as done when the fee was accepted by Norwich at the weekend.

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LEICESTER, ENGLAND – MAY 05: Claude Puel, Manager of Leicester City looks on following the Premier League match between Leicester City and West Ham United at The King Power Stadium on May 5, 2018 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /

However it’s now a case of ‘back to the drawing board’ for the Saints, who really need to crack on with business with the transfer window closing earlier than normal this time around – if they leave all business until post-World Cup then they are left with just three weeks to bring in the plethora of talent needed ahead of the new campaign.

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Last season Maddison was one of the Championship’s standout players, having been directly involved in nearly 25 goals in the league alone. Around January, it was revealed he had already created 54 chances so far that season – more than any other player in the league.

Southampton and Leicester fans have already been exchanging words over social media regarding the decision, with both clubs offering different packages for the young midfielder.

Granted, Leicester finished higher up last season and offer more stability following the Saints’ relegation-threatened campaign, however the latter have gained a reputation for bringing through good, young talent.

In addition since the season’s conclusion several Foxes supporters have called for their manager – former Saints boss Claude Puel – to be rid of his duties as they have also felt the brunt of the Frenchman’s numbing style of play.

Furthermore, Leicester often play in a 4-4-1-1/4-4-2 set-up, with natural centre-mids and then a second-striker like Shinji Okazaki behind a conventional number nine. Whilst Maddison could easily adjust, he’s more an orthodox attacking-midfielder. With the Saints almost certainly set to play with a natural #10, they seemed a more logical destination to some.

However, whilst Southampton are still chasing their first bit of business for the summer, Maddison will potentially become Leicester’s third – they’ve already signed attacking right-back Ricardo from Porto, and completed the shrewd signing of Jonny Evans for just £3 million.

As a result, it may be the Saints’ lack of ambition so far this window that proved the difference-maker. All we know though, is that losing the 21-year-old playmaker is a really tough one to take.