It’s no secret that one of Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta’s priorities in the transfer market is to improve the team’s creative and attacking play by signing a #8/10 profile who can fill those dynamic needs. In recent weeks, Leicester City’s James Maddison has reportedly come into the crosshairs with the Gunners keen to make a move for the player.
Maddison’s skillset and fit is relatively clear but what remains less clear is his durability and availability, having picked up multiple injuries including ongoing hip discomfort that essentially ended his 2020/21 campaign for the Foxes. Here’s a look at the full injury record (the aforementioned hip issue isn’t listed here):
Looking at the injury table alone, the past calendar year jumps out with the hip injury – this was actually hip surgery to repair a hip tendon – and then a hamstring injury along with multiple incidents of knee injuries.
How Concerning Is this?
In terms of the hamstring issue and knee issues, those look to be quite mild as he didn’t miss any time with the hamstring (very likely just some “tightness” and held out as a precaution) and the knee was reportedly ongoing mild soreness. None of these fall outside normal variance for a footballer, especially when coming off a hip surgery which can lead to some compensations along the entire kinetic chain.
The one area of concern is the hip. Obviously, he had the surgery on it but that in and of itself didn’t sound like a major procedure. More so, the fact that he dealt with discomfort in it again later on in the season is a concern especially since the hip is a high-demand, high-load joint in football. That being said, there may be a clear explanation for it.
Potential Root Cause
The unprecedented schedule of the past calendar year – beginning with project restart into the shortened off-season and compressed 20/21′ Premier League season – has led to an increase in injuries across the majority of professional Football Leagues, including the Premier. Is it a mere coincidence that Maddison has suffered these issues during that same time period or could that significant increase in injury risk be the root cause? That’s really the heart of the question.
How does this impact a potential Maddison transfer?
If the team does indeed move for the dynamic Leicester City midfielder, the good news here is that the Arsenal medical staff would have full access to medical records and conduct a full medical examination to determine if any of his injuries are concerning or if they fall within the normal parameters.
Further, from an on-pitch and squad building perspective, it’s clear that Edu and Arteta are looking to build a deep, talented attacking front that allows for rotation and in the case of Maddison, spot rotation where he can sit out a match here and there to allow himself to recover and not progress into the red zones of injury risk.
Obviously, this is all conjecture but overall I am not too concerned about Maddison’s injury record, especially because there are multiple medical checks that would be involved prior to signing off on the deal.
If you prefer a video version, you can find that Arsenal analysis here:
Fin. COYG.
Dr Rajpal Brar, DPT, (@3cbperformance) is a physiotherapist, movement expert, fitness trainer, sports scientist and mindfulness coach. He runs the LA and online based wellness and athletic performance clinic 3CB Performance, is an avid Gooner since 1995, and you can subscribe to his Youtube channel (which posts a variety of Gunners’ related content).
(Featured Image Credit: Getty Images)