Tottenham just need to be done with Christian Eriksen

Tottenham are very likely going to include Christian Eriksen in their match day squad against Southampton. That’s a mistake by Spurs.

Christian Eriksen will almost certainly join Inter Milan by the end of January. Nonetheless, Jose Mourinho is planning to take him to Southampton to play against the Saints on Saturday. It’s a foolish move by everyone associated with Tottenham.

The logic from Mourinho is based on two main points. First, he believes that Eriksen is one of the club’s most talented midfielders. Having him on the bench as a safety blanket is a comforting reality for the Portuguese gaffer. Mourinho seems to believe that bringing on Eriksen in the second half of matches is a great way to breathe life into his moribund squad.

That overestimates how well Eriksen is playing for Tottenham at the moment. He hasn’t become a bad player per se, but he’s nowhere near the game changer that he was a few years ago. Perhaps he can rediscover that form for Inter Milan and become a world-class midfielder once again. It’s at least understandable what Mourinho is thinking on this front.

Mourinho’s second motivation for playing Eriksen is much more difficult to justify. There are rumours circulating around that Tottenham want to secure a replacement for Eriksen before he’s actually sold.

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That sounds great in theory. Once Eriksen is sold to Inter Milan then other clubs are going to be certain of Tottenham’s desperation to replace him. Most clubs will also try to use that desperation to charge a higher price for their players. That’s an unfortunate reality that Spurs are going to face very soon.

The error here is in believing that playing Eriksen at Southampton is going to change any of that ugly reality. Any club official with access to the internet will know Spurs are poised to lose their No. 10. It’s not as if playing him against the Saints is going to instill any doubt in the minds of other clubs as to whether or not Eriksen is really going to be on the move. Any club negotiating with Tottenham regarding a potential Eriksen replacement is going to operate on the well-informed assumption that he is headed to Inter Milan.

Don’t forget that a real downside exists if Eriksen plays at Southampton. If he suffers any type of signficant injury then Tottenham may lose any chance they have to recoup a signficant transfer fee for his services. Losing the rumoured £15-£20 million in transfer income would be a ridiculous outcome for Spurs. That’s why Tottenham just needs to get on with life without the Danish midfielder.

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