Arsenal stars Declan Rice and Aaron Ramsdale praise Tottenham man on social media after international fixtures
Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Aaron Ramsdale have heaped praise on Tottenham Hotspur playmaker James Maddison following England's qualification for Euro 2024.
Maddison made his fifth international appearance for the Three Lions in a 1-0 friendly win against Australia. He was an unused substitute as Gareth Southgate's side beat Italy 3-1 to confirm their place at next year's European Championships.
The Spurs midfielder, one of the Premier League's in-form attackers, took to Instagram following the international break:
"October camp."
Arsenal duo Rice and Ramsdale responded to their England teammate. The Gunners midfielder wrote:
"My brother man."
Meanwhile, the north Londoners goalkeeper said:
"Ledge."
The pair have come up against Maddison at club level this season, with Arsenal and Tottenham settling on a 2-2 draw on September 24. Spurs' summer signing impressed, with two fine assists for Son Heung-Min's brace.
Maddison joined the Lilywhites from Leicester City this summer for £40 million. He has quickly becoming a hero for Ange Postecoglou's side, bagging two goals and five assists in nine games across competitions.
Former Arsenal star Bacary Sagna expects Tottenham to collapse eventually
Tottenham have made a remarkable start to the season under Ange Postecoglou, sitting top of the Premier League. The Australian coach's men have won six and drawn two of their eight games.
Spurs are above their London rivals on goals scored. Many expected the Lilywhites to falter following Harry Kane's departure to Bayern Munich, but they're flourishing instead.
Nevertheless, Bacary Sagna doesn't expect Tottenham to keep up their unbeaten start to the campaign. He foresees his former Gunners side beating reigning champions Manchester City's title challengers (via The Sun):
“The title race will be between Arsenal and Manchester City as Spurs will collapse, as usual."
Sagna insists his prediction doesn't come from his Gunners roots but rather a lack of leadership in the Spurs camp:
"And that’s not just me speaking as an Arsenal fan. I don’t see them being consistent enough all season. Apart from Heung-Min Son, I don’t see anyone in that team that can lead the team or play a vital role in Spurs’ title race.”
Tottenham have gone 15 years without winning a trophy and have rarely put up a title challenge. The closest they came to becoming Premier League champions was in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, finishing third and second respectively.