'Who is he?' - Tottenham Hotspur star makes awkward revelation over £17m first team mainstay

Tottenham Hotspur playmaker James Maddison has admitted he had never heard of one of the club's marquee summer signings and had to watch a YouTube highlights reel before putting pen to paper in North London himself.

The 27-year-old, who is currently sidelined with an ankle injury, has been a revelation for Spurs with three goals and five assists in the Premier League this term. The England international arrived from relegated Leicester City for £40 million in June as Ange Postecoglou began to build his attacking side.

Just days before Maddison was announced as a Spurs player, the club also splashed out £17.2 million on new shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario from Serie A side Empoli. The 27-year-old had impressed in the Italian league, making an incredible triple save that went viral last season and also been called up to the national squad.

Despite his rising profile, Maddison has admitted to not knowing who his new teammate was, and pausing to look him up online before confirming his Spurs move. Speaking to former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster on Amazon Prime Video, the midfielder said: "We signed him. I hadn't obviously signed yet. I was like 'Who is he?' kind of thing. I'd never heard of him.

"I'm in the back of the car on his YouTube Vicario highlights to see if he was any good. They were alright to be fair. Brilliant shot stopper!"

Vicario has gone on to become a mainstay in Postecoglou's new-look Spurs side, playing every minute of the Premier League so far, and has impressed his new teammates in London. Maddison explained how he now seeks out the former unknown star in practice.

He said: "That's the one thing... I think he's hard to score past. Sometimes we'll practice penalties and shooting in training, I want him in goal because he's the hardest to score past."