Arsenal need to find a new playmaker in 2021, but few would have predicted a move for Christian Eriksen given his Tottenham Hotspur history.
The Gunners are lacking creativity in the final third, and if Mikel Arteta is to push for a top four finish any time soon, he needs somebody to bring some guile to unlock Arsenal’s attack.
Now, Corriere dello Sport report that Arsenal could engineer a swap deal that would see Eriksen arrive from Inter Milan, with Granit Xhaka heading in the opposite direction.
Antonio Conte wants a battler in midfield, with Xhaka a better fit for his Inter style than Eriksen, who has struggled since joining from Tottenham in January.
Eriksen has shown that he can do it in the Premier League, though his history with Spurs and form at Inter may mean some are a little sceptical of the Dane arriving.
For so long, the conversation and arguments in North London would be Eriksen v Mesut Ozil; Spurs and Arsenal fans pleading that their playmaker was the chief creator in the bitter rivalry.
With Eriksen unconvincing for more than a year now and Ozil omitted from the Arsenal squad, both players have faded a little – but Eriksen has always been a fan of Ozil, the player he may be signed to ultimately replace.
When Eriksen was being likened to Ozil back in 2013, he insisted that he wasn’t anywhere near as good as the German, even if it was ‘cool’ to receive such a comparison.
Eriksen later admitted that he used to study Ozil when he was starring for Real Madrid, stating that ‘it’s a joke’ how good he is – though Arteta has seemingly disagreed at this stage in his career.
The Dane may find it appealing to follow in Ozil’s footsteps by becoming Arsenal’s new playmaker, though whether he would want to tarnish his Tottenham reputation remains to be seen.
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