Tottenham Hotspur have just lost the Champions League final and now must face up to the fact they are set to lose Christian Eriksen in the transfer window.
Spurs want their Danish ace to sign a new contract but at the moment his pen seems a long way from the paper and it’s believed he could now choose to leave the club in the summer.
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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen will be tough to replace.
With one year left on his current deal and Real Madrid and Barcelona keen on his services a big-money move could happen before the start of next season.
Eriksen’s time with Tottenham Hotspur, despite a lack of silverware, has been a huge success and seen him develop into one of the world’s best playmakers.
In five and a half seasons he’s scored 45 goals and registered 56 assists so he’s be tough to replace for Mauricio Pochettino.
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“I feel that I am at a stage of my career where I would like to try something new,” Eriksen told the Danish newspaper, Ekstra Bladet. “I have the deepest respect for everything that is happening at Tottenham and it would not be something negative to stay. But I have also said that I would like to try something new.
“I hope that something will be decided this summer. That is the plan. In football you never know when there could be a decision like that. It could be at any point. The best thing is always for it to happen quickly but in football things take time.”
Asked about possible locations, he added: “Real Madrid is a step up but then it would take Real Madrid picking up the phone and making contact with Tottenham and say that they want Christian. And that they haven’t done as far as I know.
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Eriksen couldn’t help Tottenham Hotspur win the Champions League in Madrid
“It all depends on Daniel Levy and there has to be another club too. Or I will sit down myself at the table and negotiate a new contract. You can’t set a date yourself. There aren’t many boxes that Tottenham don’t tick so if I have to move away, it would have to be a step up.”
So, who could Spurs attempt to sign?
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Nabil Fekir (Lyon)
With rumours of Eriksen’s departure beginning to increase in January, Tottenham were immediately been linked with a move for France international Fekir.
His move to Liverpool fell through last summer and Chelsea are also believed to be interested in his services.
Even though there are concerns over his previous knee injuries, he’s started 24 Ligue 1 games, scoring nine goals and assisting seven.
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Lyon ace Fekir could have moved to the Premier League last summer.
Eriksen is the more tidy of the two but Fekir has the potential to add more goals and keep up a decent level of creativity with 2.3 key passes per 90 minutes.
His defensive contributions aren’t too shabby either but it’s hard to keep up with Eriksen’s impressive work rate.
Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Tottenham were linked with the young German ace last season and it’s no surprise with a number of top European clubs keeping a close eye on him.
Once again, Spurs will have it tough to find a player with the defensive work rate of Eriksen but Havertz’s running is pretty good.
His movement between the lines and smart choices under pressure when it comes to possession will certainly dampen the blow of losing the Dane.
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Havertz is developing into one of the best young talents in world football.
The 19-year-old, perhaps surprisingly, has fired off more shots per game this season and does offer adaptability in a positional sense, much like Eriksen.
Havertz offers extra height for Spurs at 6ft 2in, making him an extremely well-rounded player for his age or ‘Alleskunner’ as some in the German press refer to him, while he’s also been spoken of as a mix of Mesut Ozil and Michael Ballack.
He could cost a big fee given his age and his potential though with Bayer Leverkusen rejecting an £80million bid.
A spokesman for the club told Goal.com: “A transfer of Kai Havertz is impossible. And we don’t participate in speculation about real or unreal offers for the player.”
Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis)
He’s the name on every Spurs fan’s lips right now given the club are being linked with a huge bid for his services.
Having thrilled on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, Betis snapped him up permanently for around £26.5million earlier in 2019 but they could now make three times that by selling on to an eager Tottenham.
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Lo Celso scored 15 goals in all competitions for Real Betis
Not only did the Argentine ace score nine goals and assist four others he contributed fantastically in a defensive sense with 1.9 tackles per 90 minutes, while his 2.9 successful dribbles per 90 make him a box-to-box threat if they play him in a midfield three.
It’s believed Lo Celso wants to push the move through with Spurs unwillingly to pay his £88million release clause as of yet.
Manchester United also have interest but it isn’t too likely this will happen, particularly given the player’s idol is Angel di Maria.
James Maddison (Leicester City)
The Premier League’s creator-in-chief in 2018/19, the English starlet made more chances for his team-mates (100) than any other player.
Still, though, Gareth Southgate has been reluctant to hand the 22-year-old an international call-up, which will no doubt rankle.
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Maddison seamlessly adapted to life in the top flight last season
He’s now being linked with a huge £60million switch after just one top-flight season and it’s no surprise either.
His 3.2 key passes per 90 minutes are exactly what Spurs will be looking for to replace Eriksen, while he looks a dab hand at set-pieces, much like the Danish ace.
Maddison showed his adaptability too, playing on the left wing on occasion, as well as spells in roles as a No.8 and a No.10.
The fact he’ll contribute to Spurs’ homegrown quota will be a huge bonus too given their Champions League issues with Ben Davies and Eric Dier.
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Isco (Real Madrid)
Having fallen out of favour at the Bernabeu, this transfer isn’t as farfetched as you would believe.
According to the Daily Mirror in January, agents have been sounding out Premier League clubs with Manchester City and Chelsea well placed to land him.
Tottenham, though, might trump the duo having almost landed the Spain international in 2016.
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Isco has struggled for game time this season at the Bernabeu and could now move on.
Mauricio Pochettino attempted to sign the midfielder on loan but missed out.
“Every coach wants to sign the best players,” Pochettino said when asked about his Isco bid. “And Isco is proving he is one of the best players in the world.
“We have known about him for a while, I have seen him in different clubs in his career, and he has always been a player with great creativity, great capability, beyond the average.
“His magic and quality are absolutely obvious.
Could he join Spurs as part of a swap with Eriksen?
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