Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has claimed that new Tottenham Hotspur player James Maddison is a better signing than Mason Mount, who recently joined Manchester United.
The former Leicester City midfielder made the move to North London this summer, after the Foxes suffered relegation to the Championship. Signing for a reported £40m, Maddison will hope to hit the ground running under Ange Postecoglou.
Meanwhile, Mount completed his move to Old Trafford for a reported £60m deal, in a transfer that saw over a decade at Chelsea come to a ruthless end.
Between the two England internationals, although he said it was close, Parlour believes Maddison just about edges it, and is a better signing this summer.
The former Gunner knows what he's talking about when it comes to quality, too, after a stellar career at Arsenal. Indeed, it was in North London that he won three Premier League titles, including as part of the famous 2004 Invincibles side, as well as four FA Cups and one League Cup.
So, his verdict on Maddison is certainly high praise.
What did Ray Parlour say?
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, in partnership with Genting Casino, Parlour said: “I'm interested to see how Maddison does…
"But Maddison, £40m, I’m thinking… well, if you keep Harry Kane, with Son [Heung-min], [Dejan] Kulusevski on the left. You know, they've got a decent strike force there.
“And I hope it all goes wrong, if I'm being honest, I hope he starts going out in London, I might try to get him on the debrief [drinking session] with me and Alan [Brazil].
“But that's a good signing for 40 million quid. You know, Mason Mount, £60m. Who would you rather have, Mount or Maddison?
"It’s a close one, isn’t it? I’d probably go towards Maddison a little bit more, with free kicks and all that sort of stuff.”
How did James Maddison and Mason Mount perform last season?
After the Arsenal legend's verdict, it's only right to take a look at how Mount and Maddison performed in the Premier League last season.
Both were part of seasons to forget for their respective sides, as Chelsea finished in the bottom half, and Leicester were relegated.
That's not to say they didn't perform on an individual level, however, especially Maddison.
The recent Spurs arrival scored a total of 10 league goals in a struggling Foxes side last season, whilst also assisting a further nine, tallying up to have an incredibly impressive 19 goal involvements.
Mount, meanwhile, struggled to have a hand in such a high number of goals, scoring just three times, and recording just two assists.
Last season's numbers certainly suggest that it was Spurs who got the better deal this summer, but only time will tell whether that rings true this time next year.
After splashing the cash on the respective players, both clubs will be hoping to see their summer business pay off next season, where they'll be hoping to secure Champions League football and challenge for silverware, at the very least.
For now, fans will be eagerly anticipating their official debuts come the start of the campaign in August.
