The James Maddison saga refuses to go away for Newcastle United.
The Leicester City playmaker was tracked last summer and is again linked with a move to St James’ Park as Newcastle prepare for a Champions League campaign.
Still, despite the frequent links, there has been little concrete movement on the Maddison front amid rival interest from Tottenham.
As a result, that has rather naturally led to debate as to his potential arrival at St James’ Park.
After all, with his signing seemingly no closer despite being tracked for a year, pundits are going to talk.
The latest opinion comes from Danny Murphy.
Danny Murphy suggests James Maddison does not fit in at Newcastle
Speaking on talkSPORT on Wednesday, the former Liverpool midfielder suggested Newcastle’s style of play does not suit the England international.
With Eddie Howe deploying a 4-3-3 system for most of his time in charge, Murphy does not see an obvious role for the 26-year-old.
“The way Eddie Howe has set up this Newcastle side and the way I see them moving forward and staying on that same trajectory is not with James Maddison, even though he’s a super player who I admire,” he said at 11:53 on White and Jordan.
“[It’s] Because he plays three in the middle of the pitch, a bit like early [Jurgen] Klopp when [Philippe] Coutinho went. Three athletes who can play but are just box-to-box, they press, they get back, they spot danger, they play high-tempo.
“He has three up front with the odd addition of a full-back.”
A few minutes later, Murphy added: “I think if he goes to Newcastle he’d have to play wide. Unless Eddie Howe – which I cannot see – completely changes system.”
The feeling at the club might be similar
Indeed, The Athletic recently suggested Newcastle don’t view Maddison as a priority. That’s not to say they won’t move for him if a deal does present itself but at a reported £60m, there are more pressing areas to address.
Namely, the signing of a new midfielder to unleash Bruno Guimaraes into a more advanced role.
Though squad depth and tactical versatility is not to be sniffed at, Murphy does have a point.
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