Brendan Rodgers Hopeful That New Leicester Facilities Will Encourage James Maddison Stay
By Charlie Stewart
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers is hopeful that James Maddison will sign a new contract, citing the club's new £100m training facility as a reason to stay.
Maddison has excelled since signing from Norwich in 2018, scoring 13 Premier League goals and registering a further ten assists - form that earned him an England debut against Montenegro earlier this season.
He has understandably drawn attention from some of the biggest clubs in the world, with links to Manchester United common. Maddison's current contract isn't set to expire until 2023, though, having penned a five-year contract when he joined the club.
Talk of a move has died down of late, with Rodgers now admitting his hope that Leicester's new state-of-the-art £100m training ground at Seagrave will persuade Maddison to pen fresh terms - and help elevate his game to another level.
"James is a very important player for us. I see his development here," Rodgers said, as quoted by the Leicester Mercury. "We'll move to a new training facility and he's got every condition to improve his game.
"He is that type of player that wants to get better. In my time, I’ve seen him develop and grow both in his personality and game.
“He has a really good relationship with the club, with the players, with the supporters. I’m hopeful that at some point in the future we can tie him down for that bit longer.”
Maddison has struggled to make an impact of late, failing to score a single goal or contribute an assist since the Foxes' 3-0 victory at St. James' Park on New Year's Day.
That makes it 13 games in all competitions without a goal contribution, with 10 of those appearances coming in the Premier League. Previously, Maddison had never gone longer than five top flight games without scoring or assisting for Leicester.
His lack of form has coincided with a blip in the club's form overall, with the Foxes now in a tense battle with Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Wolves to secure Champions League football for next season.