Should Tottenham resign Christian Eriksen? – Opinion

While he has had his game time quite cut off at Old Trafford, his IQ of the game, complemented by his technical elegance pull, will still end up being valuable if that is under the right setup.

We know that he has that elite vision and passing ability when playing in a structured system (as we have seen from him for years); he is also quite comfortable sitting a bit deeper at times, especially if you play him in a tempo setter role (given his age, I think he has evolved more into a deep creator than an attacking mid). Moreover, he does have commendable experience when it comes to high-pressure games, especially in the European top tier.

And bringing in Eriksen means he’d also be a leader in that dressing room, which should come in quite handy, especially given how he is familiar with the culture at N17. But there is more to it: the fact that he circulates the ball and combines long and short passes and his awareness in tight spaces makes him an absolute asset in mid-to-low tempo buildup structures, and this is exactly the kind of system that Thomas Frank used at Brentford (and is likely to bring to Tottenham as well).

So how would Eriksen fit at Tottenham under Thomas Frank?

Thomas Frank prefers to have a structured buildup, and here he asks his midfielders to drop between lines when needed while also spreading wide to hand that width while having middle zones to play into and all while maintaining press resistance while inviting pressure. I am thinking Frank brings in a pivot or 3-man midfield, which is pushing for recycling possession over relentless verticality. And then also have some ability with the set pieces, given how Brentford have always been a team that has capabilities from dead ball situations. And in a way, Eriksen fits all of that, even if in a bit of a moderate manner.

The Dane head coach used Eriksen brilliantly during his time at Brentford, playing him as a left-sided 8 in a 3-5-2 where he was not overburdened by defensive responsibility and could control the rhythm of the game, and that is where Eriksen helped turn Brentford from relegation candidates into a structurally sound mid-table side. The former Inter Milan midfielder had created more chances in the Premier League since his debut for Brentford to the end of that season, with only Kevin de Bruyne and Martin Ødegaard eclipsing Eriksen.

Eriksen could end up being a smart short term singing for Tottenham

Eriksen should not return to Tottenham as a flashback to what he once was at N17 but, in fact, as someone who has the capacity to become a tactical and cultural bridge in a team that is under transition under Thomas Frank. But that being said, he still has the capacity to win games.

I would love to see Tottenham sign Eriksen, maybe on a one-year contract with defined squad-role responsibilities, but not as a magic pill in creative aspects but as an expert who knows the club and the coach.