Where will Christian Eriksen go?
With his short-term Brentford contract about to end, we look at the FPL consequences of Christian Eriksen and his big summer decision.
After suffering a horrific on-pitch cardiac arrest on the second day of Euro 2020, it was safe to assume that the career of Christian Eriksen had suddenly ended. He was technically dead for several minutes and – as his new heart implant is banned in Serie A – Eriksen had to leave Inter Milan by mutual consent.
Miraculously, the 30-year-old playmaker returned to football just seven months after the incident. Rather than re-entering at Champions League level, he instead chose a short-term contract with Brentford’s small Danish community.
Remarkably, he immediately transformed the Bees’ faltering form and kept them in the Premier League. Just one point from eight games preceded his full debut yet they won seven of the next ten.
All parties benefitted from this deal and, naturally, free agent Eriksen is being linked with many big clubs this summer. Depending on his decision, the Dane could be a strong FPL option.
BRENTFORD
Having confronted death, perhaps Eriksen just wants to enjoy his football and stay loyal to the team that brought him back. Thomas Frank would love to keep him. Because it wasn’t just his one goal and four assists that saved Brentford, it was his influence on teammates. Ivan Toney netted six times during Eriksen’s first four starts. Yoane Wissa found some form too.
Reports say that he has a contract offer to stay but will probably sign for an elite club. With this in mind, Eriksen is unlikely to start with the same £5.5m price when FPL re-launches.
TOTTENHAM
Eriksen spent six-and-a-half happy years at Spurs, so a heavily-linked return enables him to continue that affection, play Champions League football and keep living in London.
Before the half-season that led to his Inter move, Eriksen bagged over 160 points in five consecutive campaigns. Four of them saw him reach a double-digit number of FPL assists.
Of course, things could be different this time. Will he be a guaranteed starter and, if not, will that affect his decision? His first year in Milan under Antonio Conte was difficult, having barely played under the Italian. However, he was a key player by the time they won the Scudetto together. There are no ill feelings at all.
Eriksen: “What I didn’t understand at the start is that I always had to follow Conte’s system. Beforehand, I was more used to playing on intuition, I was free to make decisions in a split second. But with Conte there’s always a general plan to follow; you must be prepared, always know where your teammates are and where they could move. I had to learn all of this and adapt to a different tempo.”
Conte: “At Inter we played with a 3-5-2 and at the time Christian was used to playing at Tottenham behind a striker in a 4-2-3-1. So I think he needed a bit of time to understand my idea of football but, when he did this, he became a really important player for us. I don’t remember once that he complained when he was on the bench. A top player, a top person in every moment.”
MAN UNITED
Despite Spurs being heavy favourites to sign him, some reports are linking Man United with a move. With Erik ten Hag now in the hot seat and Eriksen being an Ajax graduate, it’s an easy connection to make.
Whether they make a serious bid for Eriksen will likely depend on their attempts to sign Frenkie de Jong. Furthermore, FPL managers would surely be curious to see how he’d sit alongside Bruno Fernandes in midfield, with Cristiano Ronaldo in front.
NEWCASTLE
An alternative option could be the newly-minted Newcastle under Eddie Howe. What they cannot offer in terms of location and European football, they can make up for in money and ambition. For the Magpies, it’s a chance to sign a top talent whilst enabling their budget to stretch further. For Eriksen, it’ll be regular starts.
