Tottenham Boss Antonio Conte Fuels Christian Eriksen Rumors Via Stance On Harry Kane Role
Tottenham re-signing Christian Eriksen this summer would make perfect sense.
The 30-year-old left Spurs in January 2020 to join Inter Milan but is currently back in the Premier League with Brentford.
Eriksen signed for Brentford earlier this year on a short-term deal, after his Inter contract was terminated as a consequence of the midfielder being fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
He was given the ICD as part of his treatment after suffering a cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match for Denmark in June 2021.
Eriksen has lifted Brentford away from the Premier League's relegation zone since his arrival. He claimed a key assist in a 2-0 win over Brentford last month and followed that by scoring in a shock 4-1 victory at Chelsea.
But Eriksen's long-term future may not be with Brentford. His contract there is due to expire in June and reports, including one from iNews, have linked him with a possible return to Spurs on a free transfer.
Spurs have never really replaced Eriksen, who was their creator-in-chief for six full seasons after arriving from Ajax in 2013.
Eriksen registered double figures for Premier League goals and assists combined in each of those six seasons.
He is currently 18th on the EPL's all-time list of assist-makers.
Christian Eriksen pictured playing for Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final
IMAGO/Sportfoto Rudel
Eriksen's departure left a big hole in the Tottenham team. That hole has been filled on an ad hoc basis by striker Harry Kane, who has adjusted his game to become his side's chief playmaker.
Kane made more assists, 14, than any other Premier League player last season and has added another six this campaign, aided largely by his excellent relationship with Son Heung-min.
But Spurs manager Antonio Conte revealed this week that he wants to sign a genuine number 10 to allow Kane to focus primarily on scoring goals, rather than making them.
"Harry, he was born a striker," Conte said, as quoted by the Daily Mail. "But he has the talent and quality to play like a number 10 with another striker in front of him.
"But I like to have him as a striker and then eventually another number 10. Two different players with different characteristics.
"Honestly I prefer Harry as a number 9, because when he stays into the box or the edge of the box he has great quality, right, left, also with a header, he has great potential.
"But sometimes when he goes back and creates space for Sonny, Lucas Moura and [Steven] Bergwijn, and [Dejan] Kulusevski, and also the wing-backs, it's important to have different options, otherwise you are predictable.
"And in modern football your team has to be unpredictable."
Harry Kane (center) provided two assists as Tottenham beat West Ham 3-1 last month
IMAGO/Pro Sports Images/Jane Stokes
Conte was the manager of Inter when they signed Eriksen from Spurs.
The duo were very successful together at the San Siro, winning Serie A in 2021 a year after reaching the final of the Europa League.
Conte's admission that he wants a number 10 will add fuel to the rumors linking Eriksen with Spurs.
But those rumors are not new. Indeed Conte spoke about the possibility of Eriksen returning to Spurs back in February.
Conte suggested that a return for Eriksen could suit everyone as he told BBC Sport it would be "a good opportunity for him, for me and for the club".
The Italian added: "I'm the first person to be happy to see him again on the pitch because we spent a really good time at Inter Milan together.
"We won the league, we spent two important seasons together. I wish him all the best for the future. And you don't know what will happen."
Another reason re-signing Eriksen would make a lot of sense from a Spurs perspective is the fact it would be on a free transfer.
Tottenham director of football Fabio Paratici has a reputation for signing top players on free transfers, having been partly responsibly for bringing Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba and Kingsley Coman to Juventus in such deals.