"It would be lovely" - Claim made on Coventry City return for James Maddison | OneFootball

FLW's Sky Blue's Fan Pundit has told us what he things about James Maddison returning to the club in the future

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

James Maddison began his professional career with Coventry City in 2014 before moving to Norwich City two years later - but has maintained strong links with his boyhood club throughout his rise to Premier League stardom.

Although injury prevented him from featuring in the final, the 28-year-old attacking midfielder recently helped Tottenham win the Europa League this past season - scoring three and assisting four en route to the final.

FLW's Sky Blue's Fan Pundit, Chris Deez, has told us of his belief that Maddison could one day return to his hometown club - though he admits a reality of modern football that could make the move highly unlikely.

James Maddison's emotional connection with Coventry City

When asked about the possibility of Maddison returning to Coventry, Chris was high in praise for the former Sky Blues academy graduate.

"I absolutely love James Maddison, I think the vast majority of Cov fans still do love him," Chris told FLW.

"So, so happy to see him win the Europa League with Tottenham, he had a bit of an up and down season with him, obviously injuries played a big part in that.

"He still absolutely loves Coventry, you see him talking about Cov all the time, he attends games every now and then whenever he can, he has his charity event that raises money for local charities - so there’s always going to be that emotional and strong link between the player and the city."

Maddison's charitable work through the Maddison Invitational has indeed supported various causes, with the 2025 event raising funds for Ladybug Lodge, Me & Dee, and Tiny Tim's Children's Centre.

The midfielder has also been spotted making surprise appearances at grassroots matches in Coventry - with young players describing him as "really nice, down to earth, really humble."

Wages a major obstacle to potential James Maddison, Coventry City return

Despite his emotional attachment to seeing Maddison return, Chris acknowledge the wage barriers that would likely prevent a move from materialising.

"Would I like to see him come back and play for Coventry, but it’s a little bit like Callum Wilson, he said that he would like to end his career here but these big name players still come with big wages," Chris explained.

"The most that we pay anybody is around £25k - £30k a week at the minute, obviously that could change in the future if we were to get promoted to the Premier League or whatever but assuming things don’t change, someone like Maddison - as much as he loves the club and the city, I can’t see him dropping down to those sorts of wages.

"It would be lovely, i think fans would go absolutely mad for it, he’d get a hero’s welcome like he did when we played Spurs in the cup not that long ago and hopefully he can come back and help us to stay in the Premier League in a few years time."

Maddison made 42 appearances for his hometown club and scored five goals, and has since established himself as one of England's most creative midfielders - making 203 appearances for Leicester City before a £40m move to Spurs.

While the financial realities of modern football make an immediate return virtually impossible - Chris' assessment does reflect the genuine hope among Sky Blues fans that a local hero might one day complete the circle and return home.