Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan believes there are pros and cons to James Maddison potentially moving to Arsenal but sees no reason for the midfielder to leave Leicester City.
The Gunners have been linked with the England international all summer, according to multiple sources. They are said to have made at least one bid, with a cash-plus-player offer also on the table. But the Foxes are refusing to budge amid rumours that the north Londoners have failed to meet his asking price.
Leicester boss Brendon Rodgers recently hinted that the 24-year-old would not be leaving.
“In conversations with the club, we don’t have to sell. That’s something that’s been made clear,” he said. The players want to stay. It’s a really exciting time at the club.
“There’s lots of gossip and speculation around but I’m loving working with the guys here, they love being here, and we certainly have no need to sell. So I would suspect we’re looking to keep our best players.”
However, news broke on Monday that the East Midlanders are lining up a move for Manchester United forward Jesse Lingard. The 28-year-old was superb while on loan with West Ham for the second half of last season.
The Hammers wanted him on permanent terms but he is now back at Old Trafford. Whether or not Leicester are looking at Lingard as a possible Maddison replacement is not known.
But Jordan feels a switch to Arsenal would be a ‘sideways move’ as the north Londoners are an unknown quantity.
“I don’t think it’s a backwards move, but I don’t think it’s an upward move either to go to Arsenal,” he told talkSPORT. “Arsenal are a figment of our imagination, they are a rear-view mirror club right now.
“We don’t know whether [Mikel] Arteta is going to be anything more than a theory because right now he sits into the theory category.”
Former Manchester United skipper Roy Keane stoked the fire at the weekend with his comments on Maddison.
He said: “If he’s leaving Leicester, I don’t think Arsenal is the right option. If I was him I’d sit tight.”
Jordan did not go quite so far. But he feels Maddison needs to be clear on the reasons for his move if he does venture south.
“When I look at Leicester, I say, if I am Maddison I would probably sign for Arsenal for all the reasons like recognisability, size and scale of this historically great football club,” he added.
“But if I want to play for a manager that is proven to be an elite manager, albeit finishing second in the Premier League when he probably should have won it, dominating Scottish football and doing well with Leicester then I would stay at Leicester.”
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