Tottenham Hotspur decided not to actively target Christian Eriksen since they did not want to meet his contract demands, according to journalist David Ornstein.
Eriksen eventually agreed to join Manchester United on a free transfer after reaching common ground over a three-year contract (The Guardian). However, Tottenham were in the mix to sign him at one point and held internal discussions over the prospect of the Dane returning to north London (Football.London).
But, Spurs pulled out of the transfer race in a turn of events, which, in turn, paved the way for the Danish international to move to Old Trafford.
Ornstein has revealed that Eriksen’s financial expectations and contract duration did not fit in with what Tottenham were looking to offer to cap his return to the club, but failed to follow up after hearing of what they would have had to provide to the 30-year-old to make it happen.
Speaking to The Athletic’s YouTube Channel, Ornstein said: “That leads us nicely onto the next subject which is whether Tottenham will do more business before the window closes. One position they’ve been heavily linked with if they’re going to do that is a playmaker.”
“We know they made an enquiry about Christian Eriksen to scope out what he wanted to come back. It didn’t materialise, it’s my understanding that he wanted a contract length and size that was not what Tottenham were looking to do and he’s ended up at Manchester United.”
(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
Our View
It is quite surprising to see that this was the cause for us ending our interest in Eriksen. That is especially the case after he accepted a deal until 2025 with the Mancunians. A three-year contract is certainly a reasonable ask for someone who has just entered the twilight of his playing career this year.
We have seen players extend their playing careers to their late 30s in modern football, which is becoming more and more of a norm these days. Eriksen has not shown any signs of slowing down right now. In fact, his performances for Brentford showcased how he can still play at the top level.
Antonio Conte’s team is still in the market for a playmaker as of now (Evening Standard), which makes this decision quite puzzling indeed. After all, they could have secured a quality number ten for free who also has prior experience working with the club and the boss.
That is not what happened, so it will be interesting to see who our targets will be for that particular position. Olympique Lyonnais’ Lucas Paqueta (The Express), Inter Milan ace Nicolo Barella (Il Messaggero), AS Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo and James Maddison of Leicester City (Football.London) are some of the options who have been linked with us in recent times.
