With Real Madrid reportedly eying a move to sign Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen in January, Spurs fans seem split over whether the deal could go through.
Spanish publication AS Diario reported on Thursday that Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane sees a January move for Eriksen as a necessity, now that potential deals for Manchester United’s Paul Pogba or Ajax’s Donny van de Beek are off the table, all the while his midfield crisis continues to worsen.
Only Brazil international Casemiro has managed to see out the opening months of the campaign without suffering an injury, with Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Isco and Federico Valverde each forced to visit the Los Blancos’ medical department, while Kroos’ blow will see that the German misses the upcoming El Clasico.
Zidane still looks at Pogba as a potential ‘difference maker’ at the Santiago Bernabeu, but with the Red Devils ready to refuse any approach for the 2018 World Cup winner unless it is on their terms, Madrid will look elsewhere in January to ensure they have greater depth in the core.
Eriksen is seen as a ‘unique opportunity’ for Los Blancos in their current predicament and with his current form in North London, and feel the Dane can be signed for an agreeable fee in the region of €30million (£26.5m).
The 27-year-old has featured in each of Tottenham’s opening eight league games this term, making five starts, but has only scored once and assisted once (WhoScored), leaving many Spurs fans open to Chairman Daniel Levy accepting whatever offer may come their way in the winter.
Here are a sample of the messages shared on Twitter at the moment:
As badly as he’s playing these days I have doubts about getting £30 let alone £30M
— Tim Wagner ???? (@timwagner66) October 10, 2019
Even thats a tall order on his current form and 6 month left of contract
— Jamie Matthews (@jaymatths88) October 10, 2019
On current form we will be lucky to get that !!!
— Jay Edwardo (@Aostavalley2000) October 10, 2019
£30m??? I hope Levy snaps their hand of. He’s been awful for a year and a half so that money is an absolute bonus!
— Paul Fleming (@PAFCOYS) October 10, 2019
The way he is playing he is barely worth half of that.
— Mauricio?? (@MalteThfc) October 10, 2019
Eriksen’s form since the start of the campaign has not been the only factor that some Tottenham fans have taken into account in their reactions to reports Madrid could make a move to sign the midfielder in January.
For some Spurs supporters, they now just want to see the saga of Eriksen’s future resolved as soon as possible, as having the uncertainty of whether he will stay or not linger over the first-team in North London is having a negative effect on his current teammates and the performances they have witnessed from them.
Tottenham have suffered humbling defeats in their last two fixtures across all competitions, with Bayern Munich thumping seven past Hugo Lloris in the Champions League before Mauricio Pochettino’s men were beaten 3-0 at Brighton & Hove Albion going into the international break.
One fan also pointed to the potential use Levy could find in accepting a cash fee for 2020-free agent Eriksen, by returning to Tottenham’s summer interest in Juventus’ Paulo Dybala, whose rumoured transfer fell through after the player and his representatives failed to agree on personal terms with Spurs (ESPN).
Hope this is agreed before January so we can get this done 1/1. As of September, I had held out hopes for Eriksen’s future at Spurs but his situation has negatively affected the team and he needs to go ASAP so we can move on.
— Aaron Pitters ?????? (@aaronpitters) October 10, 2019
Just get rid
— dean biggs (@biggsdean) October 10, 2019
Take it, then throw money at Dybala.
— DP Taylor (@Dptaylor17) October 10, 2019
So? As long as hes gone I couldnt care less
— Negative Spurs Fan (@Bartholemwhosav) October 10, 2019
Great deal. That’s £29M more than he’s worth.
— Tom Parker (@TParkerOfficial) October 10, 2019
The sooner the better
— Ryan Angelo (@ryanangelo4) October 10, 2019
But, while many Tottenham fans would be happy to see Levy accept a €30m or below offer for Eriksen, there are a wide range of supporters voicing doubt in the Dane accepting a move to Madrid in the winter.
In AS Diario‘s report of Los Blancos viewing a transfer as a necessity, they add that Eriksen would prefer to hold out on leaving North London until next summer, at which point his contract with Spurs will have reached its natural end.
The 27-year-old would then be able to agree on a far more lucrative signing on bonus with Madrid if there is not a transfer fee involved in his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu, as well as landing a more profitable salary.
Eriksen can begin negotiations with Real over a pre-contract agreement come January 1, 2020, and is keen to secure a change of scenery after six years at Tottenham.
One Spurs fan noted to this by saying that there will not be any strong interest from clubs willing to pay a sizable figure for Eriksen in January knowing that he can be signed for free just a matter of months later.
Another added that the saga surrounding the Dane is a failure on Levy’s behalf, as the Tottenham Chairman has not realised the shift in power now falls in favour of players rather than their clubs and the contracts they are signed to.
We aren’t getting £30m when he has four months left on the contract .. Besides , he don’t want to leave until the summer and can sign pre contracts with any club in Jan. Levy don’t realise the power is with the players now and not paying them a market value contract will cost him
— Sean Kelly (@SeanKellyTHFC) October 10, 2019
He can negotiate with whoever he wants in January and leave for nothing in the summer. No club will pay that in January. He was never going to sign a new contract as this was his plan all along. He’ll earn more because there is no transfer fee.
— Bryan (@LDNGreenBadge) October 10, 2019
He’s going for free to a #ChampionsLeague pot 2 or 3 team.
— Molotov Strategy (@molotovstrategy) October 10, 2019
Going on a free, end of…..
I think he knows Madrid we’re prepared to wait & sign him for nothing.
if there were several clubs interested initially, then they may have pulled the trigger?
In part this is probably levy’s own doing, being so hard to negotiate with!— Tony Hobbs (@TonyHob29) October 10, 2019
We shouldn’t be surprised, the minute he decided not too sign a contract extension, Spurs were playing into his hands. Would be lucky if he even gets sold this Jan.
— Jorge Sensei (@gamaliel_gam) October 10, 2019