James Maddison started the season on fire for Tottenham Hotspur but has blown hot and cold since his injury against Chelsea in November.
Maddison joined Tottenham in a £40million move from Leicester City last summer after the Foxes suffered relegation.
The 27-year-old had a reputation as a creative playmaker in the final third and he certainly lived up to that early in the season.
Five assists and three goals in his first 10 Tottenham games was an exceptional return and one which suggested that Spurs had landed a bargain.
Maddison has struggled to recapture that early-season magic since his injury in November, managing just one goal and two assists in his last 13 appearances.
The England international is shouldering a lot of the workload in terms of Tottenham’s creativity and Spurs may need to look adding another number 10 this summer.
Fotomac in Turkey now claim that Tottenham are set to make an offer worth around €20million (£17million) for Fenerbahce star Sebastian Szymanski.
Sevilla and Napoli are keen too but with Tottenham allegedly planning a bid, let’s dig into the midfielder’s career so far…
Sebastian Szymanski, the story so far
Szymanski started his career with hometown club TOP 54 Biala Podlaska before joining the Legia Warsaw ranks at the age of 14.
The attacking midfielder became a first-team regular and racked up 11 goals and 13 assists in 86 appearances.
Dynamo Moscow pounced for Szymanski in 2019 and he continued to impress with 17 assists and eight goals whilst again playing 86 games.
Szymanski spent last season on loan at Feyenoord and helped them win the Eredivisie title with 10 goals and seven assists in 40 games.
Rather than stay in Rotterdam permanently, Szymanski headed to Turkey with Fenerbahce.
The Pole has been exceptional this season, racking up 17 assists and 12 goals in 50 games, whilst he has also racked up more than 30 caps for Poland.
Sebastian Szymanski player profile
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 10/05/1999
- Position: Attacking midfielder
- Club: Fenerbahce
- Former clubs: Legia Warsaw, Dynamo Moscow, Feyenoord
- Nationality: Polish
- Contract: Until June 2027
Sebastian Szymanski, what they say
“With his fast and technical game, he fits very well with Feyenoord and Dutch football,” – former Feyenoord and Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek.
“He sees things faster than the average midfielder. He sees the solution sooner. He has an eye for the through ball, good at combinations, likes to hit once. He is a real football player,” – Dutch analyst Hans Kraay Jr.
“He has a scoring ability, a good shot, can score a goal from distance,” – ex-Feyenoord striker Pierre van Hooijdonk.
“[Lewandowski] is the best striker in the world, a real test. In all the matches we have played under my leadership, we have allowed too many goals. We have scored a lot, but we have also conceded a lot. It’s a really good test to play against such a striker. I also think Szymanski from Feyenoord is a very nice player,” – former Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal before facing Poland.
Sebastian Szymanski to Tottenham Hotspur analysis
Szymanski has come up with goals and assists wherever he has been and may now be ready for a big step up.
Impressing in Poland, Russia, the Netherlands and Turkey is a great start but the leap to the Premier League is a big one.
The 24-year-old still has some untapped potential and his technical ability – as well as his eye for a killer pass – mean he could be the ideal competition for Maddison.
It’s clear that Tottenham need another creative option and Szymanski’s assist record this season is simply staggering.
Szymanski’s lack of top league experience means this move would be a risk and spending any more than £20million would leave us a little nervy.
Tottenham have been nailing recruitment over the last year though and Szymanski may be the kind of player who is ready to explode upon landing a big move.