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Joe Cole says Tottenham have a ‘fantastic character’ who really reminds him of Mark Noble

Charles Jones

Tue 27 May 2025 8:35, UK

Tottenham Hotspur have had a rather poor season to say the least.

Indeed, despite winning the Europa League, Ange Postecoglou could still be sacked due to the fact Spurs’ league form has been utterly atrocious.

Tottenham finished 17^th in the Premier League, and it’s mostly been an awful campaign.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
17	TottenhamTottenham	38	11	5	22	64	65	-1	38

However, it hasn’t all been doom and gloom for Tottenham.

Indeed, there’s been some bright moments for Spurs, including the Europa League win, and some players have stood out throughout this season.

James Maddison has earned praise for his performances this year, and speaking on The Dressing Room Podcast, Joe Cole has been discussing the Spurs midfielder and what a great character he is.

Joe Cole says James Maddison is like Mark Noble

Cole spoke about Maddison and what he’s like as a person.

The pundit noted that he thinks Maddison is a fantastic character, comparing him to Mark Noble.

Interestingly, Cole and Maddison actually played together for a period at Coventry City.

“I mean, I played with Maddison and he’s a brilliant footballer, first and foremost, but a fantastic character,” Joe Cole said.

“He’s a great lad.

“Plus, the kids met him after a game once and he’s really good with the kids as well, chatting to them and signing and stuff. He seemed like a good kid.”

“Does he remind you of Nobes a little bit?” Carlton Cole asked.

“Yeah, he does.” Yeah, yeah,” Cole said.

“We love Nobes. He’s a little bit like him. He’s just a good person, good family person.

“I think, you know, the image with the hair and all the way he talks and that, that’s all tongue in cheek. Like he had the little thing with Roy Keane on there. Because Roy gave him a little bit.”

James Maddison compared to Mark Noble

James Maddison may be similar to Mark Noble in terms of his character and how vocal he is, but, as footballers, these two are chalk and cheese.

Maddison is a very creative attacking midfield player, while Noble was much less adventurous with his style of play.

Noble is a West Ham legend, but it has to be said that Maddison has already proven to be a better player in a lot of key areas.

There have been calls for Tottenham to sell Heung-Min Son after a difficult season, and who knows? Perhaps if Son goes this summer, Maddison could be the man to step up as Tottenham captain in the same way Noble led West Ham for so many years.

Spurs will be hoping to improve next season, and Maddison could have a key part to play in that transformation.