Sky Sports pundit Andy Townsend has claimed the heart of Christian Eriksen is “potentially elsewhere” as he stands at a crossroads in his Tottenham career.
Eriksen has 18 months remaining on his Spurs contract and Mauricio Pochettino admitted at his media conference on Thursday that talks over an extension are locked at a stalemate.
Former midfielder Townsend is convinced Tottenham should be worried at the chance of losing Eriksen as he enters his peak years and could get a mega-money transfer.
“Spurs will want to get this nailed down,” Townsend told The Debate programme on Sky Sports on Thursday night. “He is a smart footballer. His goalscoring record over the past few seasons has been decent for a midfield player. He’s extremely creative and offers Spurs something different, he gives them that bit of guile and creativity.
“But I just wonder if his heart is potentially elsewhere. Eriksen has been at Spurs for a while and they’ve not quite got over the line.
“This deal is a key transfer deal for him; either he commits full-bloodied to Spurs now and trusts what Pochettino is doing and hopes they add whatever they need to get over the line.”
OPINION
Along with Harry Kane and Dele Alli, Eriksen is a member of Spurs’ holy trinity who has been one of the star men of the team transformed into Champions League regulars by Mauricio Pochettino. For the club to go to the next level, they just can’t afford to lose their playmaker-in-chief who makes the side tick with his invention and magic. Losing Kyle Walker to Manchester City was one thing, possibly losing Toby Alderweireld to Manchester United another. But Eriksen is irreplaceable, and a player Tottenham cannot do without going forwards. The problem for Daniel Levy and the Spurs board is the great Dane is in such a strong negotiating position. He knows Kane signed a contract this year worth between £150,000-a-week and £200,000-a-week, and will know he can command a similar sum, if not more, from many of Europe’s elite clubs. Can Tottenham afford to hand Eriksen the deal to keep him at the club?