Danny Murphy backs 26-year-old Spurs star to outperform Martin Odegaard in one area

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Danny Murphy has backed James Maddison to be the leading assist-maker in the Premier League this season, believing that the Tottenham Hotspur summer signing will edge out Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard.

Murphy was speaking on FIVE and making a number of predictions following the opening weekend of the new Premier League campaign.

Of course, James Maddison was able to show what he may be able to do at Tottenham this season. The 26-year-old marked his debut at the weekend by setting up both of Spurs’ goals in the 2-2 draw with Brentford.

The first assist, in particular, was a moment of brilliance from him, as his free-kick was headed home by Cristian Romero.

Murphy backs Maddison to edge Odegaard in assist charts

Murphy was asked which player will lead the assist charts this season. And his initial instinct was the Tottenham vice-captain – even after Martin Odegaard was mentioned as a possible contender.

“Maddison,” he responded on FIVE.

“Oh, good shout,” he replied when Odegaard was mentioned. “I’ll stick with it, just because he takes all the set plays. Tottenham are going to win games, score goals. [Odegaard’s] a good shout, to be fair.”

Arsenal fans may argue that Odegaard is not even the most likely contender within their squad. Bukayo Saka was the first player in the Premier League to reach double figures for both goals and assists last season.

Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard managed to provide 10 assists despite only joining the Gunners in the January transfer window.

Interestingly, Tottenham’s best performer on that front last season was Ivan Perisic. And Dejan Kulusevski also made a healthy contribution. Neither player particularly stood out with their form during the campaign.

But Maddison is undoubtedly off to a flyer. And it does appear that a lot is going to flow through him under Ange Postecoglou.

There is certainly plenty of pressure on his shoulders. But the early signs suggest that he is ready to step up for Tottenham.