Tottenham are not buying Andre Gomes to replace Christian Eriksen

Tottenham are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Andre Gomes, but the Barcelona man isn’t intended to replace Christian Eriksen at Spurs.

Andre Gomes appears set to be the player who will break Tottenham’s significant transfer slumber. Assuming he does end up playing his football in North London next season, it’s fair to wonder exactly how he’ll fit into Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. Don’t expect him to play as a No. 10 for Spurs.

Sport carries the report claiming that Gomes and his representatives have already agreed to personal terms with Tottenham. All that’s left now is for Spurs to come to an agreement over a transfer fee for Barcelona. It’s widely believed that the La Liga giants are happy to sell the 25-year-old midfielder and that an agreement will be reached with relative ease.

Some Spurs fans on social media are wondering whether or not signing Gomes portends the summer departure of Christian Eriksen. It’s a reasonable question to ask. Gomes’ strength as a player certainly lies in his ability to ping dangerous passes all over the pitch. That is a quality that he shares with Eriksen.

However, a closer look at how the two players have been deployed this season shows they are very different. Gomes has been employed almost exclusively as a defensive midfielder this season for Everton. 20 of his 24 starts for the Toffees have come in that position. His other four starts have only seen him playing a slightly more advanced role in a midfield three.

In sharp contrast, Eriksen has only started one match in Pochettino’s double-pivot this season. The slight majority of his appearances have come as a No. 10, but he’s also played a fair amount of conventional midfield when Pochettino’s formation called for it. No matter how you view it, Eriksen has played much further forward than Gomes has this season.

If Tottenham do bring Gomes in this summer, look for Pochettino to deploy him in a similar way to the way Everton chose to use him. His lack of athleticism makes it difficult for him to thrive in a more advanced role. If Gomes is going to be successful at Spurs he’ll need to control the match from deep with his long-range passing ability.

None of this means that Eriksen is definitely staying at Tottenham this summer. The only point made here is that Gomes won’t be his replacement. If Eriksen does depart, Pochettino will have to look elsewhere to secure a more natural No. 10.