Who’s ready for another potential tearful homecoming? The biggest feel-good story in football over the past few months is the return of Christian Eriksen to top-level football. Eriksen, who played for Tottenham Hotspur between 2013-2020, left the club for Inter Milan, but suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch while playing for Denmark in EURO 2020 last summer. Since then, he had his Inter contract terminated due to Serie A rules, and signed a short term deal with Brentford to the end of the current season.
Now, after proving that he can still play football at the highest level this season, the conversation has shifted from “can Eriksen play football again” to “where is Eriksen going to go next.” According to 90min, Eriksen’s future is up in the air, with Brentford hoping he’ll sign a new contract this summer, but acknowledging that there are a number of other teams seeking his signature.
And one of those teams is Tottenham Hotspur. The report states that Eriksen has attracted interest from Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Everton, Newcastle, and West Ham, in addition to Tottenham and Brentford. Should he opt for a move, he’ll have no shortage of options as to where to play his football next season, including a number of unnamed teams on the continent, but he reportedly wants to stay in England wherever he goes.
A return to Spurs would certainly be romantic. Tottenham have struggled to replace his output since he left the club; “an Eriksen replacement” is a phrase used as commonly as “a backup striker” among Spurs fans these days. Eriksen also has worked with Antonio Conte at Inter for a season, and the two reportedly get along quite well. You can pretty immediately see the appeal and how Eriksen could fit into Tottenham’s tactics.
However, it’s not clear if that’s something Christian actually wants to do. When he left the club in 2020, there wasn’t a ton of animosity swirling around his departure, just an extended period where he wasn’t playing especially well and a recognition on all sides that it was time for him to make a change. Maybe Spurs will offer him the best opportunity to play at the highest level possible and he’ll jump at that, or maybe he’ll decide that it’s better if he looks at other options because he feels like his race at Spurs is run.
Personally, I’d love for Eriksen to come back “home.” I think he has a lot that he could offer this Tottenham team next season as they continue to retool and potentially compete at an even higher level than they are now. But I also like Eriksen a great deal on a personal level for what he’s been through, and what he wants to do. Ultimately that choice is his to make, and it’s one that we all should respect and acknowledge when it is made.
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2022/4/12/23021700/tottenham-hotspur-transfer-news-rumors-christian-eriksen-brentford-return-interest
