According to reports from The Daily Mail, Antoine Griezmann’s decision to sign a new contract with Atletico Madrid could soon result in Barcelona swooping for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen. Griezmann and the Danish playmaker are no means like-for-like players, but the theory is that the Nou Camp giants will now look to strengthen their midfield options instead with Eriksen and Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara ‘under consideration’.
Tottenham would, of course, be incredibly reluctant to let the 78-cap international leave. Since arriving from Ajax, Eriksen’s established himself as a key part of Tottenham’s midfield and certainly during the course of last season, he appeared to really embrace the responsibility of being such an important player for Mauricio Pochettino.
But could there be unforeseen positives to letting Eriksen leave for Barcelona? We look at the potential consequences, both good and bad, of a deal taking place this summer…
Andre Gomes moves the other way
Tottenham were linked with Andre Gomes back in April as a potential replacement for Mousa Dembele and the Belgium international’s future is still yet to be resolved with his current terms due to expire at the end of next season. The Portuguese midfielder has endured a difficult spell at the Nou Camp, even enduring jeers from his own fans, but he’s a talented playmaker and even if he can’t match Dembele’s physicality, he should give Tottenham a similar control of possession from deep midfield.
In some ways though, signing Gomes in return doesn’t really solve the biggest problem with Eriksen leaving this summer. More of a central midfielder by nature, he’s not exactly a like-for-like replacement – so some quality will be taken away from Tottenham’s attacking midfield berth.
Tottenham’s midfield loses its precision
The greatest gift Eriksen gives to this Tottenham side is undoubtedly his vision and precision with the ball. He’s the one player the Lilywhites turn to for that killer pass splitting the opposition defence or a thunderous strike from long range. There’s plenty of talent elsewhere in this Tottenham team and in the transfer market, but that aspect of Eriksen’s game is incredibly difficult to replace – there are few players in world football who can match him in terms of passing and shooting technique.
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That inevitably takes something away from this Tottenham team – Eriksen was the hub of culture the rest of the attack played around. But it also gives Pochettino a chance to change the emphasis of this side and address arguably it’s biggest offensive flaw, which brings us onto…
Moura gets his chance to shine
One of the key motivations for signing Lucas Moura in January laid in his ability to jink his way through opposition defences, which has been a real problem for Tottenham in recent seasons. While Dele Alli can arrive late in the box to score, Son Heung-min can stretch defences with pace and Eriksen can pick out the pair’s runs, Spurs’ attack under Pochettino has always seemed to lack that player capable of breaking through opposition defences with mazy dribbles. Tellingly, their most prolific forward for dribbles in the Premier League last season was Son with just 1.6 per match – whereas the highest rate in the whole division was Eden Hazard with 4.9.
Moura though, arrests that problem and Eirksen’s departure will open up an obvious space in the team for him. His Spurs career thus far has mostly consisted of bench outings and cup games, purely because Tottenham’s attacking midfield berth is so competitive, but Eriksen will leave a big gap behind that the Brazilian can fill, bringing something a little different to the team.
So, Spurs fans, should your club cash on Eriksen this summer? Let us know by voting below…
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