Other than Bruno Fernandes to Manchester United, the biggest saga of the transfer window was Christian Eriksen’s move to Inter.
It took a while, with a lot of haggling between the two clubs over not a lot of money (in football terms), but we got there in the end, with the player swapping Tottenham for the Serie A side against a fee of around €20m.
He’s made a couple of appearances since without really having an impact, and was subbed off after 58 minutes against Udinese at the weekend, so it might take him a while to get accustomed to his new surroundings.
As is customary when you’ve just signed for Milan and are one of their more important new players, Eriksen sat down with the Italian media to give some interviews, among which was a long read with Gazzetta dello Sport, with one of the first questions being about when he felt his time at Tottenham had come to an end.
He said: “Last summer, I did an interview with a Danish journalist saying I wanted to try something new. I thought I would leave immediately, but then I stayed. In the past six months at Spurs, I had to get used to various situations.
“In England, if you don’t sign a new contract, you’re gone. You’re already out. People know you want to leave, they tell you ‘don’t do this, don’t do that’, and then comes the time when you have to leave: it’s business. Here I am, for a new challenge.”
The playmaker was also asked about José Mourinho’s message to him, which was to ‘rent out his house’ before ‘wishing him the best’.
Eriksen continued: “He knew what I wanted, which is why he built the side without me. It was the right thing to do. I was clear immediately”.
As for what Inter that Spurs hasn’t: “I was looking for the biggest club possible away from the Premier League. I’ve found it. A footballer’s career doesn’t last long enough to not try different things”.
