Why are so few Dream Team bosses picking last season’s third-best midfielder?
Far be it from us to judge the selections of our loyal Dream Team managers but something’s not quite right.
At the time of writing, James Maddison (£5m) only appears in 3.2% of teams created.
To put that into perspective, he’s currently less popular than Kalvin Phillips (£2m) and Declan Rice (£3m), two defensive-minded midfielders whose lack of goals and assists will always limit their returns.
The England anchors mustered 128 points between them last season while Leicester’s No10 racked up 228 alone.
Among midfielders, only Kevin De Bruyne (£7m) and Riyad Mahrez (£5.5m) reached a higher total in 2021/22.
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Maddison scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists in all competitions last term.
He also claimed ten Star Man awards, the joint-most among all players alongside Harry Kane (£7.5m).
The case for selecting the 25-year-old ahead of Game Week 1 is a strong one – so why have 96.8% of gaffers overlooked him so far?
One possible reason is that the Foxes won’t have European fixtures to bolster their schedule this season having finished eighth last term.
Six of Maddison’s goal contributions came across the club’s Europa League and Europa Conference League campaigns – his success across all competitions was crucial in earning him a podium finish among midfielders.
However, that’s not to say he didn’t perform in the Premier League.
12 goals and eight assists represents a mighty tally and his record appears even better when you consider his goal involvements in the top flight came at a rate of one every 123.3 minutes.
Plus, the European action doesn’t get going until September so that’s no excuse to shy away from Maddison in August – remember, Dream Team bosses get an allotment of five transfers each month.
Perhaps it’s the lingering uncertainty over his future that is forcing gaffers to look elsewhere.
Having previously been linked with a transfer to Arsenal, Maddison is now said to be on Antonio Conte’s radar with Spurs revamping their squad this summer.
That being said, wouldn’t a move to north London only enhance his viability as an asset?
It may simply be the case that Dream Team managers are spoilt for choice in Maddison’s price bracket.
The other players in his position also starting at £5m include Luis Diaz, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and Mason Mount.
While Bernardo Silva (£4.5m) and Jarrod Bowen (£4.5m) are available for £0.5m cheaper.
Even so, given Maddison’s extraordinary efforts last season, an ownership of 3.2% is worth flagging as suspicious.
Those who like the idea of big differential option from the get-go would be wise to consider the set-piece specialist.
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