At 30 years of age, Christian Eriksen is a highly sought after free agent across Europe, with the Danish international making a terrific comeback in under a year in a truly remarkable story.

His footballing career appeared over for many, and following his subsequent departure from title winning Inter Milan, it seemed a guarantee that Eriksen would be hanging up his boots, until his incredible return to English football on the 31^st January when he signed a six-month deal at newly promoted Brentford.

Of course we all know the story of Eriksen’s horrific injury, and like many who witnessed the event unfold live, it will stay with many every time we see him play, but with the work he has put in to come back, and the work of the doctors and medics around him, he is back to his very best and has so much to offer whichever side picks him up, turning him into a fantastic potential signing for some of Europe’s elite sides.

In this piece we will discuss the career and playing style of Eriksen, analysing his work in 2022 and subsequently what he could offer one of the sides who are interested in getting his signature for the forthcoming season.

If you have any thoughts on Christian Eriksen, or know where you’d like him to be playing next season, get in touch on Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) and let us know what you think.

Career

Making his professional debut in January 2010 after moving through the youth setups in his native Denmark, Eriksen impressed many upon arrival, as he made 21 appearances in the 2009-2010 season which earnt him a change of squad number from #51 to #8 and the following year, he helped the club to their first league title in 7 years. Named Danish talent of the year and Dutch football talent of the year, he impressed Ajax legend Cruyff who made comparisons between Eriksen and his Danish counterparts in Brian and Michael Laudrup. In 2013, after deciding not to renew his contract at the club he began looking for a move elsewhere, which was eagerly snatched by Tottenham Hotspur who he joined in August 2013, leaving Ajax with 162 appearances, 32 goals and 3 league titles among several other individual awards in his cabinet.

Already a key player for his national team, Eriksen continued to impress domestically and internationally. With his move to Tottenham secured, he provided an assist on debut, and continued to show his talents in the #10 role as he ended the season as Tottenham’s player of the season and Danish footballer of the year, after netting 10 goals in 36 games.

The following 6 seasons saw Eriksen play a focal role in the Spurs side, and despite not adding any silverware during his time at the club, he was hugely effective in the side whilst also playing a key role in their development under Pochettino in which they made it to the 2019 Champions League final. Across his 7-year spell in London, he played 305 games, netted 69 goals and a huge 90 assists. It is tough to summarise the influence a player like Eriksen has on the game, as he creates so many chances and was so dangerous in the Spurs attack. Harry Kane was flying for his club and with Eriksen feeding him, they were a deadly attacking force who came within touching distance of a league and Champions League to break Spurs’ trophy drought. Other details from his spell in North London is that his 51 league goals make him the top scoring Danish player in the league, he scored the leagues’ 3^rd quickest goal against Manchester United, made the PFA team of the year and set up the first ever goal at Tottenham’s new stadium. Perhaps the lack of trophies cost him legend status at the club, however his impact and influence on the impressive side under Poch cannot be understated.

In January 2020, Eriksen began looking for a move, as Inter Milan had stated their interest and were offering quite a significant sum to join them. With his deal expiring at the end of the season, Spurs agreed to the move, and he penned a 4-and-a-half-year deal on the 28^th January 2020. Ending the season as Europa League runners up, his debut at Inter had been fairly solid, netting 4 from 26 appearances, however he began to struggle to get as much game time as he was used to at Spurs, and as Inter Milan’s spending caught up to them, in December 2020 it was mentioned how he had been transfer listed. A move never came to fruition and in his second season, Inter were dominant in the league, winning the 2020-2021 Serie A title after the success of Conte, Lukaku and the squad packed with stars. Eriksen made 34 appearances across the campaign, netting 4 goals and with the backing of then manager Conte, he went into Euro 2020 with little doubt over his future.

At Inter, several off-field disputes and issues saw massive changes at the club with manager and star player Lukaku both departing, however Eriksen led his Denmark side into Euro 2020 as many people’s dark horses. Just 42 minutes into Denmark’s opening match against Finland, Eriksen fell to the ground after suffering cardiac arrest. The scenes which were viewed live by thousands in attendance and millions watching on television were stunned by the events that unfolded, and the medics and their quick response cannot be understated for their brilliance which simply saved Eriksen’s life. In a surreal moment which we hope to never see again in football, fans of all sides took Denmark to their hearts as the nation made it all the way to the semi-final only to be beaten in extra-time by England, however the rest of the squad did Eriksen proud in the tournament. 

Following the events that occurred in the Euro’s, Eriksen’s contract at Inter was terminated as he was unable to play in Italy due to the ICD that had been implanted following the cardiac arrest. While most would have understood a decision to call time on his career, the Danish attacker began training with his former side OB and joined a few training sessions at Ajax to build fitness and start his return to the pitch. On January 31st, Christian Eriksen joined Premier League newcomers Brentford and saw out the season with them as they survived any threat of relegation (more on this part later).

Playing Style

Eriksen has received huge praise throughout his career for his ability as a #10 or a traditional number 10. Earlier and through his career he has played slightly further back as a central midfielder and mezzala early in his career, even making occasional appearances as a second striker or out wide. Despite this versatility, his best and most efficient role is between the strikers, creating chances and feeding the forward line which he has done since emerging at Ajax. 

A specialist in set-pieces, he has been deadly at free-kicks and a handful at corners which only adds to his existing reputation for technique, tactical awareness and creativity. He is sublime at creating chances for the strikers, making killer balls between the defenders, drawing defenders out and hitting them over the top and making space without the ball to free up his teammates. Eriksen is a playmaker, a chance creator, a goal scorer, a hard-worker and a hugely intelligent footballer.

His work has seen some legends of the game give Eriksen credit for his work, including Ajax legend Johan Cruyff. The comparisons have been made on many occasions between Eriksen and former Danish legends Michael and Brian Laudrup.

2022

After his previously discussed departure from Inter Milan, and following his work at Ajax where he was welcomed into training to build up fitness ahead of a return to the professional game, Eriksen appeared to be a shoe-in to re-join the club where his career began and become a part of Ten Hag’s side at Ajax, or possibly rumours swirled that he could make a triumphant return to another previous side at Tottenham Hotspur, where Conte was beginning to shape his side, and the obvious old links from their respective times at Inter Milan made this appear likely, but then seemingly from nowhere, Brentford emerged as frontrunners and won the signature of the attacking midfielder for the remainder of the 2021/2022 campaign in which Brentford were working to secure their safety after a decent start to life in the top-flight.

Signing on deadline day (despite being a free-agent), Eriksen made headlines as football fans from all clubs welcomed the Premier League return of the Danish playmaker, and given his incredible time at Spurs, people were intrigued to see if this form could be matched later in his career and following the obvious health concerns.

Although he made fans wait until the 26^th of February for his first appearance, he arrived as a second-half sub as Brentford lost 2-0 to revitalised Newcastle. In one of football’s touching moments, he came on as a sub for Mathias Jensen, who had been the substitute who replaced Eriksen in the Euro 2020 game following Eriksen’s cardiac arrest. Playing only 30 minutes, and with his side already 2 down, he couldn’t make much of an impact, but the lift given to the squad as a footballing star joined their ranks was visible in the crowd and on the pitch.

Playing the full 90 in Brentford’s 2 victories in early March, he was unable to nab his first goal but did provide the assist for Brentford’s 1^st in their 2-0 win over Burnley, and he was a handful in both games, creating chances and showing why Brentford worked to get the deal done. Another highlight in these games, came when Eriksen picked up a yellow in the win against Norwich, as he battled with young full-back Brandon Williams, who initially looked to start something with the Danish international, before quickly checking himself and obviously understanding why it may not be the right fight to pick, instead changing a potential battle into a hug and getting on with the game. 

Following his return to first-team football, Eriksen was welcomed back into the international setup for Denmark’s friendlies. Netting a goal in the loss to Netherlands and victory over Serbia, he again impressed and received plaudits for his efforts in these two games, and once again the side were given a huge lift from his return.

Back at Brentford, Eriksen returned to help lead his side to their most remarkable victory of the whole season, as they battered Chelsea 4-1 at Stamford Bridge. Netting the 2^nd of Brentford’s 4, he was once again a handful in creating chances, linking up play and getting stuck in (winning 2 tackles, 5 duels, 4 clearances and 9 recoveries). A true highlight of the season for Brentford as they went on to close out the season with wins over West Ham, Watford, Southampton, Everton and holding Spurs to a 0-0 draw. Eriksen featured in these games and managed 3 more assists to bring his final tally to 1 goal and 4 assists from 11 appearances back in the Premier League.

At the close of the season, Eriksen again joined up with the Denmark national side, helping them to two victories over Austria and playing in the 1-0 defeat at home to Croatia in their Nations League group. As we hit July, Eriksen became a free agent once again, however he is even more sought after than previously, and several huge clubs have been linked.

Possible Destinations

Several clubs have been suggested for their interest in signing Eriksen up for the forthcoming season, including Brentford once again, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax and possibly even the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. With the most recent reports suggesting the deal to Manchester is all but done, it will see Eriksen add to the growing Ajax contingency of Ten Hag, Van de Beek and possibly De Jong and maybe a few others still to arrive. Until the deal is official, speculation will continue, so why not add to it by discussing the aforementioned clubs, how likely they are to make the signing and where he would fit in.

Starting where we left off at Brentford, they will be keen not to lose any players from last season where they comfortably survived despite being favourites for relegation from many at the start of the campaign. At Brentford, he will remain and become even more of a legend at the club and play a starring role. At just 30, he has it in him to play 30+ games a season, and given his contributions in the side previously, it’s obvious what he can offer them across a full season. Of course, Brentford is by no means the most glamorous option being suggested, however the guarantee of his starring role, staying in London and being a part of a project could be enough to tempt him into sticking around. Brentford however are run very methodically, but despite this they will be keen to push through a late move to keep Eriksen at the club, and likely on a longer-term deal. From the players’ perspective, this could be his final ‘big move’ and so he will need to weigh up the comfort of where he has been recently and essentially guaranteed game time, with the potential relegation scraps that could realistically occur for the next few years. 

Personally, I don’t see this one happening, as the prospect of some of the other clubs we will discuss would surely tempt Eriksen to depart Brentford. It will be a harmonious departure and one Brentford fans can’t blame the player for, but it’s unlikely he will be returning to Brentford Community Stadium.

Manchester United are the clear frontrunners for making a deal for Eriksen, as the funds have been made available (apparently), Ten Hag is clearly a big fan and was the manager in charge of Ajax when Eriksen began training with the club through December/January. Additionally, this Ajax link is clearly something that the new manager is keen on emphasising, targeting several current/former players in his summer plans.

As a transfer for the player, it’s tough to fully know what is expected of a move to Old Trafford, as obviously they are one of the biggest names in for Eriksen, however the playing time potential may not be as appealing, with the likes of Fernandes, VDB and a few other players who can play the Eriksen role. If the player is perhaps looking for a move where he isn’t relied upon for a full 40+ game season (which may be wise given his medical issues), then United can utilise him in certain games, and allow him a comfortable run for the next 2-3 years as a 15-25 game a season player.

From the clubs’ perspective this is a no brainer. They could do with an extra spark in the attacking role, and despite Bruno Fernandes occupying this role single handed, he definitely needs to be relied upon less going forward while also having some serious competition for his spot. Eriksen is a perfect backup/rotation player for the traditional #10 role, as he can slot straight in if required, yet surely will understand how he may not be starting every game. This conversation will likely be had with the player and club before any deal is made, but with no transfer fee involved, United could outspend any other club on wages, and bag themselves a solid player who can make a big impact this season. With a players like Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard moving on, there is a space for Eriksen to occupy, and he is damn good at finding space.

Moving more away from the obvious choices, the 3^rd most likely would have to be a move to either Tottenham or Ajax. These are two clubs where Eriksen has already made a big impact, performing for both clubs over several years. He would be welcomed back openly from either side, and these clubs offer a great level of football for the player to continue at. Arguably, both clubs are in a better situation than Manchester United, as both are Champions League clubs, they have solid foundations for success and in the case of Ajax it’s a near guarantee of silverware. Spurs however offer Eriksen the chance to reunite with Conte, which many players would consider a big factor in joining the club, especially if they are perhaps only looking for a 2–3-year deal. The finances regarding wages may be a small stumbling block for both sides, however they are both willing to spend on the right players, and Spurs in particular have demonstrated this already quite significantly. The biggest question for these clubs is how much do they want Eriksen. Of course, he’s a talented player with lots to offer, but will he fit the way Spurs are looking to play, and does he fit what Ajax are working on with their potential rebuild if they are to be raided for talent as expected. If these moves are made, I would expect them to become more interested later in the window, which may put them off making any moves before it’s too late, and as mentioned previously with United and Brentford putting their cards on the table, it’s unlikely to any competition from either Ajax or Spurs in the short-term.

Finally, we have the more outlandish suggestions, and of course it’s fun to speculate, however I cannot see these happening. A move to Real Madrid or Barcelona could make sense, and has been rumoured before, however at 30 years of age, Real Madrid need to be looking for younger talents as their current stars reach their twilight. It’s not completely impossible that Madrid could step up for him, however I don’t see how the reigning Champions League and La Liga winners are much better off with Eriksen when they could look elsewhere. For Barcelona, they are keen on free agents who have no transfer fee to worry about, however it again doesn’t really fit the plan at the club, and despite going for experienced names in Aubameyang, Depay and Traore recently, these moves aren’t setting the world alight and they need to be focussed on offloading for the short-term, and tying-down players they already have.