Former Arsenal star William Gallas has insisted that James Maddison is not the signing of the season despite his sensational start to the season with Tottenham. Instead, Micky van de Ven has been credited with the highest praise from the Frenchman following his £34.5million move from Wolfsburg.
Spurs have made a brilliant start to the season under Ange Postecoglou, with the former Celtic manager breathing a new lease of life into the squad. The north Londoners sat top of the Premier League after 10 matches played, with the likes of Heung-min Son and Maddison thriving in the attacking, free-flowing system being implemented by Postecoglou.
The latter has hit the ground running since leaving Leicester City, scoring three goals and assisting a further five, and has injected a spark of energy and creativity into Tottenham’s midfield ranks. Many have lauded Maddison as the signing of the summer as a result, with very few new arrivals performing to such a level so far this season.
However, Gallas firmly believes that Spurs defender Van de Ven deserves to be credited with that title. He told The Mirror: “James Maddison is not the best signing of the season – Van de Ven is.
“We already knew how good Maddison was, and him going to Spurs was the natural progression. People aren’t surprised to see him doing so well, and Tottenham’s players have more quality than Leicester’s.
“Nobody knew Van de Ven prior to his arrival and he’s playing his first Premier League season. He had to adapt to a new team and a new league. He doesn’t make mistakes and he plays a very simple, effective game. People are starting to speak about him now and he’s starting to score goals.”
