Dear Leicester City fans,
We have some bad news for you, and some worse news to follow. James Maddison will be sold this summer.
There’s no way around it. He’s not going to sign another contract, the club need the money and the salary relief, and he needs to be in the top flight to maintain his international aspirations.
The other bad news? We’re not going to get what he’s worth.
Now, as for the destination? We don’t know and we don’t particularly care. The best fit would be Manchester City, but both Spurs and Newcastle currently seem more likely.
What we do care about is the price. City are being pilloried in public for demanding £50 million for their best player.
In the meantime, Manchester United are currently offering north of £60 million for Chelsea’s Mason Mount.
Is Mason Mount 20% better than James Maddison? Is he a better football than Madders at all? Dear reader, we can assure you: The answer is “no.”
They are remarkably similar players. Here are their profiles on WhoScored.com and FBRef.com
The two of them play a similar range of positions and they have very similar strengths and weaknesses.
Madders is a much better attacker and dribbler; Mount is a better defender and is two years younger.
As an attacking midfielder, they’re both very good but unless I’m missing something, Maddison has the clear edge.
There will be Mason Mount defenders who will say “Ah, but Mount played on a squad that failed to meet expectations and often seemed to be in disarray!”
That might be a valid defence when comparing him to a player with any other club. Leicester City supporters can just narrow their eyes and nod.
