BREN: TETE CAN GET MADDISON MOTORING
BY BRENDAN MCLOUGHLIN BRENDAN RODGERS has backed new signing Tete to bring the best out of James Maddison.
Star man Maddison is set for his first Premier League start since November 12 today after being plagued by knee issues in recent months.
Rodgers could hand a debut to Brazilian winger Tete (the pair, left), who has joined until the end of the season, as Leicester bid to extend the current gap of just a point between them and the drop zone. And his arrival will enable Rodgers to move
Maddison, who already has seven goals and four assists this term, from the right into a potentially even more influential centralattacking role.
The Foxes boss said: “It’s just great to have James back playing and have a strong squad until the end of the season.
“He has been training for a few weeks now. I’m pretty sure the next few games there will be periods he might feel a leggy but he has been bright.
“If he is playing on the inside that will help him a little bit as well. Overall, this guy really is a top player. To have him here helping us is great.”
Tete arrives after a spell at Lyon, who he joined last March after FIFA rules allowed him to suspend his Shakhtar Donetsk contract due to the war in Ukraine. The 22-year-old has six goals and three assists in Ligue 1 this term.
Leicester fans have long been crying out for a winger in the mould of Riyad Mahrez and Rodgers is confident that in Tete the Foxes have landed a player who fits rthe bill.
He added: “Yes, he’s that type, he’s got real confidence on the ball. He takes the ball well, can see a pass, looks to beat people. He’s a proper football player.
“He knows the position well, he makes really good runs, he can see and identify space and then run in behind, so his timing is really good.
“And he has an eye for a goal. “I’m sure over time here they will really enjoy watching him.”
Rodgers, meanwhile, insists he was always confident Maddison and contract rebel Youri Tielemans, whose deal expires in the summer, would stay put in January.
He added: “I was always comfortable with that because they were players that were never going to go.”