Tottenham Opinion: Two Christian Eriksen replacements Spurs must target
Tottenham star Christian Eriksen has confirmed he wants to leave the club to take on a new challenge this summer.
The Dane, 27, who has been at Spurs since 2013, has one year to run on his current contract and has shown no desire to renew his contract. The midfielder has also confessed he has his heart set on Real Madrid but the Spanish giants have yet to contact Tottenham.
Eriksen has developed into one of the world’s best playmakers and despite a lack of silverware, his time with Tottenham has been a huge success. He has continued to excel for the North London club year after year, with his superb range of passing, ability from dead ball situations and elegant style of play has seen him draw many plaudits from all around Europe.
Spurs cannot afford to allow the Danish attacker to run down his deal and leave as a free agent next summer, considering his sky-high stock in his prime at the moment. Mauricio Pochettino has made it clear that he wants assurances over the direction Spurs are heading in this summer, suggesting he could quit if Daniel Levy fails to match the ambition.
After failing to sign a single player since January 2018, Pochettino needs to spend heavily in the summer transfer window. But with Eriksen willing to quit Spurs for the next big step of his career, the Argentinean tactician’s priority should be signing the classy Dane’s replacement.
Keeping that in mind, here are two replacements for Eriksen Spurs should target this summer.
1. James Maddison (Leicester City)
James Maddison joined Leicester City from Norwich City last summer and has adapted to the Premier League like a duck to water. His performances will no doubt have caught the eye of many of Europe’s elite, with Tottenham already interested in the 22-year-old.
Maddison scored seven goals and provided as many assists, whilst creating exactly 100 goalscoring chances in his debut Premier League season. The 22-year-old was the creative hub for the Foxes, linking play extremely well with the likes of Jamie Vardy, Youri Tielemans, Harvey Barnes and Demarai Gray.
The England youth international knows to pick up intelligent positions in the opposition half and create chances for his teammates. Laced with creativity, vision and excellent ability from set-pieces, Maddison would only be a long-term asset for Tottenham.
2. Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen)
It has been an unbelievable season for Bayer Leverkusen teenage prodigy Kai Havertz, whose 17 goals helped the German club finish fourth on the table and qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Havertz, 19, is one of German football’s top emerging stars, becoming Bayer Leverkusen’s creative lynchpin this past season under Peter Bosz. Such has been his rise in the Bundesliga that it’ll be difficult for Leverkusen to keep hold of the 19-year-old.
The Aachen-born star could be a terrific signing for Spurs. His versatility is a trait Pochettino could very well exploit, with the teenager able to occupy various roles in midfield and attack.
His dribbling skills make him a threat when he runs with the ball, although Havertz has the intelligence to spot the right pass in the final third. A great distributor of the ball, the left-footed ace is also a composed finisher in front of goal.
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Havertz is a sublime talent and the 2018/19 Bundesliga season is there to suggest the German could be the perfect man to replace Eriksen at Spurs.
