‘Yesterday’: Sky journalist has been told 26-year-old Spurs player had his heart set on joining Newcastle

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James Maddison is Tottenham’s biggest signing of the summer to date, but in an ideal world, the midfielder wanted to join Newcastle United.

At least that’s what Sky Sports’ Pete Graves has been told about the 26-year-old.

Indeed, speaking on the Transfer Talk Podcast, Graves was discussing how Newcastle missed out on Maddison, and he says that even this week he was being told by people close to the player that he had his heart set on Newcastle.

Sadly for the Magpies, Tottenham were willing to pay Maddison more money, and, in the end, that swayed his decision.

Maddison wanted Newcastle

Graves shared what he knows about the Spurs midfielder.

“They obviously liked James Maddison as well and people were telling me, even yesterday I spoke to people close to Maddison who said that Maddison really had his heart set on a move to Newcastle, but in the end he went to Spurs. In the end it came down to wages and I think Newcastle have a very stringent salary cap in place,” Graves said.

Should’ve gone

In all honesty, Maddison probably would have been better off joining Newcastle.

Yes, money talks, but let’s be honest, it’s not as though Newcastle would have been offering an unliveable wage is it?

From a footballing perspective, there’s only one winner here.

Newcastle are the richest club in the world with an exciting project and are in the Champions League next season.

Meanwhile, Spurs have no European football right now, they’ve just hired an entirely unproven manager and could be set to lose their best player.

In our view, a move to Newcastle would have suited Maddison and his ambitions much more than a move to Spurs.

This may be a decision the former Leicester man ultimately ends up regretting.