According to AS, Premier League giants Chelsea are ready to rival Real Madrid in the pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Christian Eriksen.
The Blues are believed to be huge admirers of the Danish international, whose current contract with Spurs will expire at the end of next season. And it is unlikely that he will extend his contract, meaning he could be destined for a move away from the club in the summer. But, is he an ideal player to play under Maurizio Sarri?
Christian Eriksen: player profile
Eriksen has continued his excellent form in the Premier League this season, scoring four goals while mustering seven assists in 19 matches.
As that record would normally suggest, Eriksen is someone who likes to create chances in the final third. He has averaged 1.8 key passes per game this season, which happens to be his lowest since joining Tottenham back in 2013, which is indicative of the creative prowess the Dane possesses.
This could be a boon for Chelsea, who are still unsure about the reliability of Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic, who, of course, is on loan until the end of the season.
Therefore, Eriksen could be the ideal candidate to fill in that extra midfield slot as the 26-year-old can provide the creative essence in the final third while the likes of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante will be tasked with the responsibility of controlling the game – thus adding an extra dimension to the Chelsea midfield.
Furthermore, as Sarri iterated earlier this campaign, Eriksen is someone, who, aside from creating chances in the final third, can also “score eight or nine goals in a season“.
Indeed, the 26-year-old has scored 45 goals in 190 league matches and thus, his scoring prowess would ideally serve Chelsea well, especially considering how they have appeared overreliant on the services of Eden Hazard in terms of goalscoring, in recent years.
But perhaps most importantly, what makes Eriksen a tailor-made fit for Sarri is the fact that he is blessed with immense technical prowess. He can carry the ball in the half spaces, which often becomes crucial in a possession-based system while the Danish international is also a tactically astute midfielder, whose positioning sense is ideally suited to Sarri’s tactical philosophy at Chelsea.
However, it is rather doubtful whether Tottenham would be willing to hand over their prized asset to one of their biggest rivals in the league, especially when they can opt to sell him to Real Madrid next summer. It would be interesting to see how this transfer saga develops in the coming months.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
