Newcastle United want to sign James Maddison this summer, and pundit Simon Jordan believes he is going to be one of the first players to leave Leicester City at the end of the season.
While rumours of a move to Newcastle continue to circulate, Maddison is battling to avoid relegation with Leicester City. They are in the bottom three with three games to go, and look likely to drop down to the Championship.
Their survival hopes took a huge hit on Monday, when they were beaten 5-3 by Fulham. Matters then got worse when Everton and Nottingham Forest won their games.
It was a woeful performance from Leicester, and it led to an apology from Maddison. He admitted that his side were not aggressive enough against Fulham, but disputed claims that meant they did not have enough desire to win.
However, TalkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan has hit out at the midfielder, taking issue with his comments in true Simon Jordan fashion.
Simon Jordan lashes out at the ‘audacity’ of James Maddison
The former Crystal Palace owner told TalkSPORT that Maddison should not have the audacity to comment on Leicester’s lack of fight because he will be leaving the club this summer.
“We’re talking about appetite and hunger,” he said.
“If you’re not prepared to win your first battles and win the duels and be on the front foot then you’re not playing for the shirt the way you should because those are the default settings. Ability, adversity, challenges and mistakes – those are things that happen that you can’t legislate for. But you can control your reaction.
“Their approach to the game, talking about the hunger side of things, which has been extrapolated to a lack of desire, and then he turns around and says ‘what I actually meant was we weren’t competitive enough in our duels, we didn’t win our battles’ – well that’s the same thing, just dressed up in a slightly more palatable perspective.”
Jordan added: “He will be one of the first players on the train away from Leicester somewhere else. Don’t you have the audacity to come on and talk about a lack of hunger or not winning duels because you will be gone.”
Newcastle target will be on the move regardless
First of all, Jordan is speaking out of turn. Who is he to tell Maddison what his comments really mean? He was the one who said them in the first place!
Secondly, the fact that Maddison is likely to leave is irrelevant. There is nothing to suggest his desire has dipped despite question marks over his future. Without him, Leicester would probably already be relegated.
The 26-year-old has proven to be one of few leaders for the Foxes this season, whilst also providing 10 goals and nine assists.
No matter what happens, the England international can be safe in the knowledge that he did his part. And he has also been mentally strong enough to face up to the media in times of turmoil. So how dare Jordan tell Maddison that he is speaking out of turn.
Whether he is a Premier League player or a Championship player, a transfer away from Leicester beckons. He will reportedly cost around £50million, and it is reported that he is intrigued about a move to Newcastle. However, Tottenham appear to be the favourites.
With just over a year to run on his contract, his time at Leicester is coming to an end, as could be their time in the Premier League.
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