Tottenham Hotspur supporters were surely delighted to see James Maddison back out on the pitch as a starter against Coventry City last time out in the Premier League.
The England international went 536 days without a competitive start for the Lilywhites after sustaining an ACL injury in pre-season ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
It has been a long road back to fitness for the former Leicester City and Norwich City man, which made his start against the Sky Blues all the more special.
That made his stunning goal from distance in the 3-1 win against his hometown team all the more enjoyable from a Spurs perspective, as it was a moment that supporters had waited a long time to see.
How James Maddison can save Tottenham’s season
Maddison only played 50 minutes in three substitute appearances in the Premier League in the 2025/26 campaign, as Tottenham finished 17th in the table and only two points above the relegation zone.
He provided the club and the fans with a reminder of the quality that the team lacked without him on the pitch last season when he scored a sublime curling effort on Monday night.
In the 2024/25 campaign, prior to his injury, Maddison racked up 12 goals and ten assists in 45 appearances in all competitions for the Lilywhites, and that kind of form in the present could save the club’s season.
| Spurs since 2023/24 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Statistic | With Maddison | Without Maddison |
| Games | 48 | 73 |
| Won | 25 | 17 |
| Drawn | 6 | 19 |
| Lost | 17 | 37 |
| Goals per game | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| Win rate | 52.1% | 23.3% |
The club’s form with and without Maddison since the start of the 2023/24 season speaks to the impact that he can have at the top end of the pitch, but he still lacks the impact of some former stars in North London, such as Gareth Bale.
Why Spurs are waiting for their next Gareth Bale
Spurs are still waiting for their next version of the Wales international because of the explosiveness of his performances during his time at White Hart Lane before his £85.3m move to Real Madrid in 2013.
Bale scored 71 goals and provided 53 assists in 237 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham, including 26 goals and ten assists in all competitions in the 2012/13 season before his move to Spain.
Maddison has never quite reached those levels at Spurs, with a season-high of 12 goals, and does not have the same pace and power that the Welshman played with.
The Lilywhites, therefore, are still waiting for a player who can light up the pitch for Roberto De Zerbi with goals, assists, pace, and power in the final third.
Spurs have their most exciting talent since Gareth Bale
Spurs do, however, have an academy player in their ranks who looks like he could be the club’s most exciting player since Bale, and an even bigger talent than Maddison.
Luca Williams-Barnett was an unused substitute in the 3-1 win over Coventry and is still waiting in the wings for his Premier League debut for the club, having been a substitute on nine occasions.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder looks like he deserves an opportunity to showcase his quality at the top end of the pitch due to his form for club and country at youth level.
|
Williams-Barnett’s last six games for club and country |
|
|---|---|
|
Opposition |
Goals |
|
USA U19s |
1 |
|
Norway U19s |
1 |
|
Man City U21s |
1 |
|
Dinamo Zagreb U19s |
1 |
|
Charlton Athletic |
0 |
|
Hoffenheim |
1 |
Stretching back to a pre-season goal against Hoffenheim for the first-team, the teenager has scored five goals in his last six appearances in all competitions.
In the 2025/26 campaign, Williams-Barnett racked up 16 goals and eight assists in 20 appearances at academy and senior level, including a return of seven goals in six UEFA Youth League games.
The England U19 international has scored 24 goals and provided 13 assists in 32 U18 matches and produced eight goals and seven assists in 12 games for the U21s, which speaks to his exceptional ability to score and assist goals on a regular basis.
Williams-Barnett has the potential to develop into a forward who scores 20 or more goals in a season, like Bale, and that is something that Maddison has never been able to achieve.
Whilst Spurs have had Harry Kane, the club’s all-time leading scorer with 280 goals, since Bale’s time at the club, Williams-Barnett could be even more exciting because of how direct and fast he is, whilst the centre-forward is not a traditional flair player.
It is now down to De Zerbi to provide the English youngster with a chance to show what he can do in the Premier League, because he could emerge as an even bigger talent than Maddison.
