£40m player who wanted to join Newcastle has now been voted the best signing of the summer

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For Newcastle United, the jury is still out on the majority of their summer signings.

Sandro Tonali has looked good in a struggling midfield, Harvey Barnes is yet to start a game, while Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall are signings for the future.

Only time will tell if this proves to be a good transfer window for Newcastle. It hopefully will be, as the club have invested a lot of money in bright young talents who should only get better.

However, one player who Eddie Howe missed out on signing is already thriving at his new club.

James Maddison shining at Tottenham Hotspur

James Maddison joined Tottenham Hotspur for £40million during the summer, and is enjoying an excellent start to life under Ange Postecoglu in North London.

Spurs pipped Newcastle to the 26-year-old’s signature, with the Magpies eventually deciding that a player like Maddison was not essential. Instead, they decided to splash out on a more complete midfielder in Tonali.

Had more money been available, Newcastle probably would have gone for Maddison – and he probably would have joined. There were plenty of stories about the England international wanting to move to St James’ Park. It was even claimed by Sky Sports’ Pete Graves that Maddison had his heart set on joining Howe’s side.

However, wages were the issue and now the attacking midfielder is with Tottenham. He is shining there, showing Newcastle exactly what they could have won.

Maddison deal voted the best of the summer

In fact, some agents believe that Newcastle actually missed out on the deal of the summer.

As part of an article for the Athletic, 20 football agents were anonymously asked to name their deal of the summer. Interestingly, Maddison to Spurs came out on top, with nine agents picking the £40million transfer.

One remarked: “At that level, even before the season had started, I thought it was, pound for pound, the best deal. When you look at some of the transfer fees for players that aren’t even proven — look at Cole Palmer. I know they (Chelsea) are buying potential, but the guy has played about 15 league games and they’ve paid more for him than Spurs did for Maddison.”

Maddison has started brilliantly in a Spurs shirt, but there are no guarantees that he would have done just as well for Newcastle.

However, it is clear that the Magpies missed out. It is just a shame that the club had to prioritise other positions instead of going all out for a man who was keen on the switch to Tyneside.