SN Blog 77 – Eriksen packs his bags – how will he be remembered?

If today’s stories are to be believed (top tier sources…) Christian Eriksen has packed his bags and cleared his locker. The Dane will shortly be signing as an Inter Milan player for a fee of around €20m (£17m).

We have all expected it for some time now. His contract has been debated since 2017/18 and former manager Mauricio Pochettino was confident he would sign a new deal. However, as time went on there was a growing doubt that Eriksen would sign a deal and his exit became inevitable- the only questions remaining were when and how? His performances dropped remarkably from the highs that saw him one of the best playmakers in the Premier League decade to the lows recently that saw him booed at recent games.

I hope that this tarnished note is not our lasting memory of Eriksen – a special player in our recent history. He should be in a band of untouchables like Pochettino and Dembele with fond memories – those that played huge parts in developing Tottenham over the past 4/5 seasons into Champions League finalists and taking huge steps to the heights Spurs strive for. Pochettino and Dembele left with a place still in our hearts and yet Eriksen leaves with almost a sense of betrayal.

He, arguably more than others in the squad, will bare most of the responsibility of Pochettino’s sacking. As alluded to earlier, it was Pochettino’s relationship with Eriksen that formed the trust between Spurs and the player. When Spurs could have cashed in on Eriksen two seasons ago for circa £100m- it was Pochettino who convinced Levy to keep Eriksen – citing complete faith the player would sign a new deal. Eriksen’s performances dropped but the manager stuck by him.

The summer was the perfect time for Eriksen to leave. He turned down a lucrative move for £40m+ to Manchester United as he wanted a move to Spain. There was interest from Atletico Madrid but Eriksen was holding out for Real Madrid or Barcelona. However, unlike past seasons, neither showed any interest. I think Eriksen was caught in a situation he didn’t think possible – the dream transfer to La Liga giants gone. The cynic inside me thinks he probably had his head turned by his agent – convincing him to run down his contract until January – offering a big pay cheque with clubs signing on pre-contract agreements.

And that’s the feeling I have today; greed and betrayal. His form has been off for a year now. Pochettino put his neck on the line for Eriksen against Daniel Levy and the Board and he suffered the sack. Eriksen will now leave for a marginal fee and I’m sure an inflated contract and signing-on. He is leaving us when we need his quality most and at the end of a transfer window with limited time and money to replace him.

I’m sure with time the good memories will flood back. He was the player that made the team tick for the proudest spell of my Spurs-lifetime. For now – it’s good riddance.

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