Antonio Conte has praised Christian Eriksen whilst admitting that he would like to coach the playmaker again despite no Tottenham Hotspur deal over the summer.
Tottenham were in the market for midfield reinforcements over the summer after securing Champions League qualification.
Fabio Paratici ended up striking a deal for Yves Bissouma, luring him away from Brighton and Hove Albion.
Bissouma has yet to break into the Tottenham side on a regular basis but there could still be scope for another midfielder to arrive in 2023.
Antonio Conte has praised Christian Eriksen
Tottenham are sturdy and workmanlike under Antonio Conte but they do lack some creativity and flair at times.
The guile usually comes from Dejan Kulusevski cutting in from the right flank and his injury in recent weeks has highlighted his importance to the Tottenham side.
A proper number 10 to bring off the bench or start in certain games would be ideal for Tottenham and it’s something Paratici needs to look at in 2023.
One option that could have bee unsigned over the summer was Christian Eriksen.
The Dane was coming to the end of his short-term contract with Brentford having made an emotional return from his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.
Tottenham were confident of signing Eriksen according to 90Min and a move did make some sense.
Eriksen was a favourite at Tottenham between 2013 and January 2020 before leaving for Inter Milan, where he played under – you guessed it – Conte.
A reunion didn’t materialise though as Manchester United swooped in to sign Eriksen instead.
The 30-year-old has recorded two assists for United and has started eight league games but missed Sunday’s game with Newcastle United.
Whether Eriksen faces Tottenham on Wednesday night remains to be seen but Conte has spoken about him regardless.
Conte has told Football London that he doesn’t love to speak about players of other teams but he loved working with Eriksen and would like to have him in his squad again.
Conte wished him all the best and stopped short of saying Tottenham would be keen down the line, but clearly has great respect for the playmaker.
“Yeah, I don’t want to speak about players of other teams,” said Conte. “For sure Christian is a player I enjoyed working with him and I would like to train him again, to have him in my squad but you know the transfer market is very difficult and he made a big choice to sign for United for three years of contract.”
“For him I wish him the best for his family, apart from the game against us and for the rest of the season to be the best on the pitch. Now is not the time to say but for sure Christian was a player everyone wanted in their team,” he added.
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