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No team likes to lose good players, and they don’t come much better than Christian Eriksen. The 27-year-old Dane who currently plays for Tottenham Hotspur has made no secret of the fact that he would like to move on and it now seems that Daniel Levy, Spurs’ chairman, is prepared to let him go.
It’s certainly not something that Mauricio Pochettino would want to happen given Eriksen’s football skills and his playmaker’s brain. But it all comes down to money and with only one year left on the midfielder’s contract, Spurs need to act quickly before it expires and he leaves for nothing.
According to ex-Spurs’ player Darren Anderton, in a recent interview, he saw the situation regarding Eriksen’s future at Tottenham as being unclear. He says that the Dane is a loyal player, so if he can negotiate a lucrative new contract, he could well stay. But he is also still ambitious, and there have been rumours about a possible move to Real Madrid or Barcelona.
A move to Los Blancos is something that Eriksen would entertain and the rumour mill has been promoting the possibility for the past year. The Daily Star quotes the Dane as feeling that he is in need of a change and playing for Real Madrid would be a step up.
To that end, Daniel Levy is said to have offered to let Eriksen go for £62 million, but this figure is half of what it was when the Spurs’ chairman refused to let the Dane go for to Real last year. It makes Levy look somewhat desperate – and perhaps he is.
From Real Madrid’s point of view though, Zinedine Zidane is playing it cagey. He was looking at Paul Pogba, and that could scupper an Eriksen move. But the latest news seems to suggest that Zidane could have changed his mind?
Who knows what will happen? It is common knowledge that the big midfielder is anxious to leave Old Trafford but on the other hand, Ole Gunnar Solskjær is said to have his mind set on keeping hold of him.
If Pogba doesn’t go to Real, Zidane will need more guile in midfield, and that will make Eriksen a lot more desirable. But where would that leave Tottenham? Yes, they have Harry Winks who is showing great potential; Dele Ali though did not live up to expectations last season, and if Eriksen does jump ship, they will be without a key playmaker.
One suggestion is that Spurs might opt for the services of the Ajax midfielder, Donny van de Beek. The 22-year-old had a superb season for the Dutch champions scoring 17 goals and notching up 13 assists. He would make an excellent replacement for Eriksen.
But it is not only Spurs who have their eyes on him. So too do Manchester United and Real Madrid. However, van de Beek’s agent has said that joining Tottenham or United would suit him down to the ground.
It all seems somewhat tenuous, with the same small group of players being carefully watched by the same small group of clubs. Who knows where the dice will settle? But one move – say Eriksen changing sides – could trip of a whole raft of transfers. Watch this space.
