Tottenham Hotspur supporters are sweating over the contract situations of a handful of key first-team players, including Christian Eriksen.
The Denmark international’s contract is set to expire in June 2020, leaving Tottenham in a precarious position which could force their hand in the coming months.
Naturally, Spurs will be desperate to keep Eriksen in north London, but they will be conscious that a player of his talent will naturally command an extortionate asking price, so they may be forced to make an unpopular decision next summer if he refuses to sign a new deal before the end of the season.
It’s a conundrum which has provoked plenty of speculation about Eriksen’s long-term ambitions in the game, and Sky Sports pundit Dom Hutchnison weighed in with his own personal opinion on The Debate.
“The romantic in me thinks that the majority of the players signing new contracts want to go into the new stadium and want to play well, because that may be the difference between Spurs being also-rans and maybe winning the title.
“Eriksen has got a decision to make, he’s 26 and the big move might be there. But he’s still probably nowhere near his prime, he’s probably a year or two away from that.”
The suggestion that Eriksen is nowhere near his prime is one which supporters may be inclined to disagree with. Eriksen has spent more than five years with the club since he moved to Tottenham from Ajax in 2013, and he has refined key aspects of his game with every passing season in the Premier League.
Sure, Eriksen is bound to improve in the seasons to come; more experience generally equates to further improvement. But at 26 he is not too far away from reaching his prime and it’s unlikely that he has huge scope for further improvement.
However, it must be considered that Hutchinson’s claim was made in the context of his long-term career, which suggests that Hutchinson is expecting Real Madrid and other European super clubs to come calling for his signature when he has reached the pinnacle of his game in one or two seasons time.
There is no question that Eriksen will be forced to consider alternative career paths in the coming years, but he owes it the club to extend his current deal in order to afford Daniel Levy extra power on the negotiating table.
Hutchinson’s claim that Eriksen is nowhere near his prime is some way off the mark, but the subtle ramifications of his words are telling: Eriksen reaching his ceiling and the expiry of his current deal may well inconveniently coincide with one another, leaving Spurs powerless to a painful departure.
Tottenham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!
