Christian Eriksen has all but confirmed his desire to seek pastures new elsewhere from Tottenham Hotspur, and has admitted that he wants to take on a new challenge at another club this summer – the worst kept secret within the Tottenham camp. However, what club will decide to break the bank to secure his services this summer remains to be seen.
The Danish Midfielder has graced the pitches of North London since his move from Ajax in 2013, becoming yet another outstanding product from its glorious academy. Though, he has one more year remaining on his contract, he now feels his time in London has run its course and has shown no indication to renew another cycle in North London. What Tottenham will be wary of though, is that any resistance to bids for the Danish playmaker will really not help their cause financially. First of all, Mauricio Pochettino will not want an unhappy player in his camp and most of all Tottenham will the run the risk of potentially allow him to run down his contract and leave on a free after next season especially seeing as Eriksen is reaching the prime of his career, his stock in the market will be reasonably high simply because of his creative and influential abilities from attacking midfield.
To put it simply, cashing in on Eriksen will not allow funds for a potential replacement – Giovanni Lo Celso from Real Betis has been earmarked as a perfect replacement for the Danish international – but it will also allow the club to make the substantial repayments on their new stadium. Daniel Levy, the chairman, has quoted £130m for the player which is an incredibly large sum which begs the question: which club will be willing to pay that huge amount even for a player as decorated as Christian Eriksen. However, the large sum quoted does represent the lengths Levy would be willing to reach in order to get the club back to a level playing field again in financial terms.
In footballing terms though, Christian Eriksen would represent a huge loss for Tottenham and Mauricio Pochettino as rightly mentioned below by Football Correspondent for the Evening Standard Dan Kilpatrick:
And his overall stats for Tottenham tell its own story:
To re-iterate, Eriksen will be a massive miss. Becoming an integral figure in Tottenham’s resurgence up the Premier League table over the past few seasons. A product of Ajax’s youth academy – like many of his fellow Spurs teammates – much was said and expected of the talents of Eriksen as he has become the hallmark of much of Tottenham’s success over the last 5 years. Eriksen’s consistency both in terms of his creative output – no player has created more chances in the Premier League since his debut in 2013 – and his impressive fitness – he has remarkably missed only nine league games over the past five seasons – would appeal to many of the top clubs scouring for his services this summer. These stats is a true reflection of the level of importance he has been to Argentinian coach Mauricio Pochettino, arguably becoming just as vital – if not more – than even Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dele Alli.
“I feel that I am at a stage in my career where I would like to try something new.”
Eriksen told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.
“I have the deepest respect for everything that is happening at Tottenham and it would not be something negative to stay. But I have also said I would like to try something new.”
It is very clear, Christian Eriksen’s ambitions and thoughts lay elsewhere and the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool may have been the final straw for him North London. Whatever feelings Tottenham fans may harbour for him – whether positive or negative – they cannot fault or criticise his commitment, attitude and dedication to the club. Certainly, the Danish is a player of incredible abilities, such abilities that players in the same class will contending for and winning titles on a consistent basis and its unfortunate that last weeks final against Liverpool was the Dane’s first major competitive final for the club. You can almost guess what Eriksen is thinking, he needs to win trophies especially at this point in his career and he feels he won’t be able to fulfil those ambitions in North London despite Tottenham gradually building a revolution under Pochettino.
The big question for Eriksen is, where does he see himself come August? He hasn’t ruled out the possibility of staying at Tottenham for another year. However, there are no indications that he will put pen to paper on a new contract which means Tottenham will lose him for free after next season. Such has been the high standard of Eriksen’s performances over the past few seasons that Real Madrid and Barcelona have been mooted as possible destinations for the Dane. A move to the Camp Nou was talked about when Philippe Coutinho’s departure from Liverpool stalled, while a move to Real Madrid has been a rumour circulating heavily over the past few months.
For any footballer, joining either Real Madrid or Barcelona is seen as a dream. Chances are that if a player is excelling at any of the top six clubs in England, they will then definitely be on the radars of both the La Liga giants. Just ask Philippe Coutinho or Eden Hazard who has completed his £88million pound dream move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Bar a rather inconsistent form towards the end of the season – probably as a result of the constant transfer speculation – Eriksen’s displays over the course of these last couple years at the club will almost certainly be on the radars of both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Though, Eriksen has mentioned that Real Madrid could be an option as he searches for a new home, naming the 13-time European champions as a step up from Tottenham. Zinedine Zidane is expected to oversee a major surgery at the Santiago Bernabeu this season after such a disappointing season both domestically and in Europe. The process to get Real Madrid back on top in La Liga has already begun with the signings of Eder Militao from Portuguese big boys FC Porto and Luka Jovic from German underdogs Eintracht Frankfurt and as stated before are on the verge of completing a deal to sign Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard.
Christian Eriksen could represent a great addition providing Zidane fails to get his hands on Manchester United’s Paul Pogba. Creativity is certainly not amiss at the Bernabeu with Isco, James Rodriguez, Modric and Marco Asensio all still at the club and have been linked with moves elsewhere. Maybe a swap deal for either of these players could be a tantalising prospect for both Daniel Levy and Pochettino. It would be like Christian Eriksen never left with any of those players capable of performing at the same levels as Eriksen under Pochettino if not better.
However, there are some inconsistencies to Eriksen’s game and it is said that if the Danish playmakers struggles to implement himself quickly to the Madrid pressure, fans could turn on him without even considering given him time. After their failures last season, Zidane is under pressure from the Madrid faithful to bring in players who are ready to take up the Real Madrid mantle quickly and assertively, to drag the club back to the success of two seasons ago. Does Eriksen have the bottle and consistency to adhere himself to such demanding fans? Also, Paul Pogba is believed to be Zidane’s primary target with Juventus also in the frame.
What about Barcelona? The Spanish champions have added Ajax’s young Dutch midfield maestro Frenkie De Jong to their ranks and the Catalan giants are also reportedly carrying out their own major summer overhaul with a whole host of players said to leave the Camp Nou. The addition of Christian Eriksen could just be another ingredient in their plans to revert back to their ‘tiki-taka’ traditions. Possession based, dominant in midfield and also relentless pressing once possession is lost. These are characteristics that have been significantly abandoned in in previous seasons. With a potential trident midfield of De Jong, Arthur/Busquets and Eriksen, it provides control, composure and technical acumen like the famous midfield trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. No longer will the team require Messi to drop deep in midfield and dictate at the expense of his own abilities in the final third. Rather than Messi come to pick up the ball from midfield, he would instead use the passing and creative abilities of De Jong, Arthur and Eriksen to find him with a defence splitting pass. It would make for an interesting move if Valverde broke the bank for the Dane.
Not only has Eriksen been linked with the two La Liga giants but also Inter Milan and Manchester United. With former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte now at the helm in the San Siro, he will be backed financially by the board in order to make Inter Milan a success in Serie A once again. With Juventus, Napoli, Roma and AC Milan all expected to be strengthening their respective squads this summer. What better way to make a statement than adding Eriksen who would instantly become an upgrade on what they already have. However, whether Inter would be willing to part with a huge sum of nearly £150m is highly doubtful. Manchester United will be willing to pay that amount, though that all depends on Paul Pogba leaving Old Trafford which will allow them to cough up the funds to quickly replace him with the Tottenham maestro. It does make sense, replacing Pogba with a player with such an abundance of creativity and end product.
If Real Madrid were to sign Paul Pogba, then no longer will Zidane require the services of Christian Eriksen. The Dane may stay at Tottenham or interestingly head to Old Trafford. What about if Pogba were to head to Turin? The maybe a move to Real Madrid might just be the best bet for both parties. It’s almost like Paul Pogba’s future is a ripple effect for Eriksen’s. Still, it is highly doubtful that Christian Eriksen will be willing to sacrifice Champions League football for Europa, where United will playing their football next season, and will Daniel Levy be willing to sell a prized asset to United yet again? It is unlikely.
Nonetheless, no matter where Eriksen ends up this summer, he is sure to be a real asset as he shown on many occasions in a Tottenham shirt. Creativity, imagination, determination, courage and most of all dedication.
Eriksen, on many occasions this season sacrificed his own productivity in the final third for the good of the whole team. Rather than staying in and around the half-spaces, becoming the focal point in attacks, he has regularly been asked to drop deep and help start attacks rather than finishing them. That’s what makes Eriksen so good is that he can execute both roles to perfection as reflected in his stats. Whoever, captures the signature of the Danish playmaker will be getting a player capable of performing at his best levels regardless of where he is asked to play.
Whether that lucky club will be Real Madrid, Manchester United or even Inter Milan remains to be seen.
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