Arsenal: 5 pros and cons of James Maddison £60m transfer

Arsenal and their hunt for a playmaker this season has seen them linked with a plethora of attacking options and the latest name to emerge, and now sit atop Mikel Arteta’s wishlist, is James Maddison. He won’t come cheap.

Who saw this coming? After a slow start to the window from Arsenal with little other than murmurs and talks over potential sales, the club have burst into life in the transfer market with bids flying in and intentions made clear.

Set to ‘ruthlessly’ overhaul the squad, the sheer volume of departures and possible arrivals is starting to sink in. It’s all well and good reading a few names and envisaging the rebuild, but once the plan kicks into gear the scale of the operation becomes crystal clear.

It’s important to temper expectations at this point, even if some of the figures being flung about are dizzying. With goalkeeper(s), left-back, right-back, centre-back, midfielder(s) and playmaker all on the ever-expanding shopping list, coupled with an absurd amount of conversations to be held other clubs about sales, not all will be accomplished this summer.

Arsenal: 5 positives and negatives of James Maddison joining in the summer transfer window from Leicester for £60m

Calculated decisions will need to be made in some areas, with Arteta sitting down to evaluate which of those departments is the strongest and can be left untouched should time and money not be on his side.

Securing a No. 10, however, is high priority.

All the links mentioned thus far, regardless of whether believable or not, have almost entirely been based around the spine of the team, showing the importance of securing a creative midfielder. As it stands, Martin Odegaard won’t be arriving this summer, leaving James Maddison to become target #1 for that department.

Across Europe it is his name that has emerged as the frontrunner, despite his signature undoubtedly being one of the toughest to secure of the lot.

Is the thought of Maddison joining Arsenal exciting or concerning, given the fees in question? Let’s take a look at what positive and negative aspects could arise from his potential transfer, starting with the beneficial elements.

1. James Maddison is a Huge Talent Who Would Improve Arsenal

Arsenal would be a better side with Maddison as a member of the squad. Boasting a grand total of one No. 10 in the ranks in 20-year-old Emile Smith Rowe, the options in that department are bare. Strong, but bare.

Whoever comes in to that role has to lift the creative ceiling. They need experience and determination in equal measures. Throw in excellent quality and you’ve hit the nail on the head. Maddison isn’t too far off that.

Is he perfect? No. There was a drop off from 2019/20 into last season for carries and possession-based metrics, which is slightly troubling, but Leicester started finding other players to fulfill those roles.

What he would bring coming in to this side is inventiveness between the lines; supporting runs, connectivity in build-up and transition; advanced vision and goals. Someone who is lethal from range, be it with a dead ball or otherwise, that goal threat is something the Gunners have lacked.

Since making his Premier League debut in the 2018/19 campaign, the 24-year-old has created 230 chances, a figure bettered by only Kevin De Bruyne’s 252. During that period, Mesut Ozil has created the most for Arsenal with 82. Additionally, his 11 goals from outside the box is bettered by no one, while his five direct free-kicks are only surpassed by one of the world’s best at them, James Ward-Prowse. That’s all delightfully pleasing.

Scoring in the top 5% for through balls, passes into the final third and key passes for playmakers across Europe, his strengths are clear. This is a prolific chance creator wanted by a club that just finished eighth with the fewest number of top-flight goals scored since 1996. It’s an undoubted injection of quality.

2. Maddison Suits Arsenal’s Homegrown Needs

Arsenal should not splurge £60m (probably more) on a player just because he classes as homegrown. That would be utter lunacy.

As they scour Europe – or perhaps not given recent links – the playmakers around are enticing but wouldn’t provide assurances of hitting the ground running. While Arsenal will absolutely have to suit the quota, someone who fits that bill also implies they invariably have comfort with English football.

In acquiring Maddison, Arsenal will have someone who requires minimal bedding in time. For Arteta, this is essential as another season without European football following this one will ruin the club even beyond its current struggles. There can be no patience such as seen with Nicolas Pepe – who required near to 18 months to begin showing his worth – something that will not occur with Maddison.

Furthermore, with a Hale Exodus set to take place with Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and possible Joe Willock all departing, there will be an ever diminishing British core. Wenger once said you need to have an English core – not that core though, that failed miserably – and Maddison alongside Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka, Smith Rowe, Rob Holding, Calum Chambers, Ben White(?) and Folarin Balogun is a group to build around, all of a good age.

Suiting the quota following the mass of exits becomes vital and if it can be met with a high-quality operator, then it adds to the allure.

3. Emile Smith Rowe Needs Someone Like James Maddison

The arrival of Martin Odegaard struck fear into some supporters. With just over a month of exceptional performances since entering the side, concerns were raised over bringing in another player for that position would stunt his development and limit his playing time.

Smith Rowe only got better.

Like he does on the pitch, he rode that challenge and elevated his game to a new level. His performances improved every week and whether being fielded out on the left or through the middle, he excelled.

But he is only 20 years old. Arsenal have a magnificent talent on their hands that can’t bear the creative burden all on his own. There is scope for Bukayo Saka to play centrally too, but another body in that area has to be brought in to aid Smith Rowe’s development.

Last season Arsenal were dependent on Saka and Smith Rowe. That’s unacceptable. Yes they’re two outstanding young talents and the future of the club, but to be so reliant on them at this stage of their careers can have a damaging effect.

Smith Rowe is a talent that needs protecting. Nurturing him as a young player is of paramount importance. Furthermore, Maddison’s knowledge of the division and what it’s like to be the up and coming star in that position can only help. Smith Rowe won’t suddenly stop playing as a result. He most certainly should not, either. He’s that good.

However, despite the positive notes, there are some concerns that arise from this potential Maddison deal.

4. Can Arsenal Do Better Than James Maddison?

Perhaps the question can be rephrased to ‘can Arsenal do just as good as Maddison but for significantly less money’, which is hard to argue against them doing so.

£60m, which will likely be more, is a lot of money for a number of reasons. The contract situation and obvious talent always mean he’ll be worth a significant amount, but there are unavoidable levels of ‘English’ and ‘Premier League’ tax attributed to the valuation.

If Maddison was as gifted but was German and plying his trade for Eintracht Frankfurt, you’d be looking at a healthy discount.

As a player he would improve the squad. The question is whether Arsenal can find the same in La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 or Serie A, and save £20-£30m in the process. They probably could, which makes it clear that Arteta is favouring the aforementioned ‘taxes’ and seeing them as a necessity to securing someone relatively low-risk in terms of performance output.

Being Premier League proven is in this case what could swing the tide. That level of immediacy in his displays and lack of lengthy integration time appear to be, in Arteta’s eyes, worth the outlay.

We have to look at Leicester as well and ponder what they might do with £60m+ in cash. Given their track record, they’ll probably go out and spend half of it on a European gem who will make fans forget Maddison’s name in a heartbeat. The Foxes invest and recruit very shrewdly and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them source another No. 10 and fill another position up with change left over for an ice cream.

If so, that’s a top rival being directly benefited. It has to be right.

5. Can Arsenal Afford £60m on James Maddison?

Crying out for the club to spend some money in the transfer window – primarily on the right players – now they’re edging closer to doing so, why is there sudden trepidation?

Ben White being eyed up for a deal that will cost Arsenal close to £50m – on a position that is not a priority and for a player with very similar qualities to another centre-back at the club who cost £27m himself – will only work under one condition: that it’s the start of a spree of lavish spending.

Otherwise, it’s a gross miscalculation of resource allocation.

Same with Maddison, if Arsenal do go out and splurge £60m on his signature and are left with pocket change to acquire two full-backs and another central midfielder then the club are not much better off than where they started.

The question of where the money is coming from is linked back to the Barclays loan in May. That bank loan was taken out to pay off the other Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) loan received in January, although there were no limitations on how the new one could be spent.

It’s likely it will have exceeded the £120m needed to pay back the CCFF, which will be directly impacting this string of high-profile pursuits the club are exploring. How much exactly is anyone’s guess, but the management of these resources has to be carried with due diligence, thus fans absolutely have the right to be cautious with how it’s spent given the uncertainty of the amount.

Yet if Arsenal can sign White and Maddison for £110m and still fix the midfield and full-backs positions, then the expenditure won’t be questioned so long as it ends up with a successful outcome. We’re in the dark on this one, but at the same time, you’d like to think that Arsenal have some idea of what they’re playing with.