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Christian Eriksen’s Tottenham Hotspur future remains up in the air this summer.
The Spurs playmaker has not been the subject of a single bid in this transfer window, per The Guardian, despite airing his desire to leave after the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.
It remains to be seen if Real Madrid will move for him – they have also been heavily linked with Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, per the aforementioned report – but would Spurs actually be better off by pushing him out of the exit door this summer?
There are a number of positives to consider, which Football FanCast runs through below!
[snack_break title=”The money”]
This one is obvious.
Reports suggest that Daniel Levy values the Denmark international at around €100m (£89.9m) and such a figure could be immediately reinvested into the playing squad.
However, Madrid are reportedly only willing to stump up €80m (£72.2m), which is still a considerable figure for a player entering the final year of his contract.
Spurs have already smashed their transfer record this summer to sign Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon and one feels that they may need a bit of help as they look for further reinforcements.
Links with Giovani Lo Celso and Dani Ceballos of Real Betis and Real Madrid respectively persist and, while the latter could join on loan, the former has a release clause of £88m.
That money does not grow on a tree at Spurs’ training ground.
Selling Eriksen, then, and adding the cash to the coffers would see Spurs cover a significant portion of the fee required to sign Lo Celso.
If Mauricio Pochettino believes the Betis man is better than Eriksen, that feels like a no-brainer.
[snack_break title=”Alli’s freedom”]
Dele Alli is not a winger.
This has been much discussed but he was often pushed out to the flank to make room for Eriksen throughout the 2018/19 season and his output suffered as a result.
He scored just five Premier League goals last season and provided three assists.
Compare that to 2016/17, when he primarily played off the shoulder of striker Harry Kane: he scored 18 Premier League goals and registered nine assists.
The difference is night and day and selling Eriksen could free up a spot at No.10, particularly if Lo Celso isn’t signed.
The Dane’s departure could be just what the England international needs.
[snack_break title=”Lo Celso and Ceballos”]
It is difficult to imagine that both players will come in if Eriksen doesn’t go.
Ceballos, as mentioned above, is a target for Spurs.
But to bring in Lo Celso, too, one feels that Eriksen will have to depart, otherwise, they face a severe overload of attacking midfielders.
It may not be too much of a bad thing, though.
Lo Celso enjoyed a sensational season with Betis while Ceballos would offer a deeper-lying alternative to Harry Winks, who has not had a lot of support in recent months.
[snack_break title=”Proper back-up”]
Eriksen has basically been forced to play every game at Spurs when he’s fit.
The club haven’t had a proper alternative in the No.10 role for quite some time, perhaps since Clint Dempsey left the club.
And now, irony of ironies, it could happen as soon as he departs.
Indeed, both Lo Celso and Ceballos can play in the role, as can Alli, and it would mean that Spurs fans no longer have to watch a mid-season blip from their one-and-only creative hub.
Eriksen, after all, played 51 times in all competitions last season; he made 47 appearances in 2017/18 and 48 in 2016/17.
It is no wonder he was tired.
[snack_break title=”Winks further forward”]
Harry Winks needs to add another string to his bow.
A truly excellent water-carrier in midfield, his statistics are unspectacular and he failed to register a single assist last season.
Eriksen’s departure, though, could see him move further forward, with Mauricio Pochettino spreading the creative responsibility throughout the team.
One feels that Winks can become an excellent vertical midfielder, looking to break the lines and pass through teams, instead of merely offloading the ball to the nearest runner.
This is not to say that he will suddenly become an attacking midfielder, but he could well flourish in a role with more attacking requirements.
Playing alongside both Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko in midfield, he will certainly have the bruising support needed to venture forward every now and again.
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