James Maddison terms Tottenham Hotspur qualifying for the Champions League as ‘non-negotiable’

Midfielder James Maddison stated that the team’s Champions League qualification is “non-negotiable” after Tottenham Hotspur’s victory against Nottingham Forest last night. Maddison also mentioned that the club may pursue the championship in the forthcoming campaign.

In light of the three points this weekend, Ange Postecoglou’s team took over the number four spot from Aston Villa. Despite still having a game remaining, Tottenham and Aston Villa are now tied on 60 points.

Nottingham Forest, who were in danger of relegation, was a team that the Lilywhites were predicted to win. After Murillo’s own goal in the first half hour was cancelled out by Chris Wood, the game unfolded just how the supporters of Spurs would have liked. This was the North Londoners’ second moment of weakness. However, Tottenham responded with goals from Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven, both of whom came from the defensive line, in the second half.

James Maddison sets ambitious targets after Nottingham Forest win

James Maddison is trying to regain his pre-injury form after missing roughly ten weeks of football due to ankle ligament damage suffered in November. Maddison was a nightmare for many teams’ defensive lines before his injury.

During his post-match press conference, the former Leicester midfield player stressed how important it is for the team to place among the traditional top four this season. In the squad, he also expressed the desire to win Premier League hardware as quickly as possible.

According to The Standard, he stated during the post-match press conference:

“I get the manager not wanting to talk about [finishing in the top four], but I am not going to lie to your face and say you don’t think about that, because we want to be in the Champions League. This club needs to be in the Champions League, [it’s] non-negotiable really, and that’s the aim. That’s why we’ll try to finish strong and get that.”

“That’s definitely the feeling,” said the 27-year-old, when asked if challenging for the title challenge is the aim.

“It’s annoying listening to three teams go at it for the title and we’re not in it. How exciting is the title race this season? It’s amazing, it’s brilliant for a neutral. Everyone is locked into the Premier League every week, because it’s such a good title race. Frustrating not to be a part of that, but we are where we are and we have our own job to do.”