Tottenham Must Prove No One Is Irreplaceable – Not Even Christian Eriksen

 Christian Eriksen during training. The Dane has only one year left of his contract and Tottenham risk losing him for free next summer. Photograph: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images
Christian Eriksen during training. The Dane has only one year left of his contract and Tottenham risk losing him for free next summer. Photograph: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images
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Tottenham Must Prove No One Is Irreplaceable – Not Even Christian Eriksen

 Christian Eriksen during training. The Dane has only one year left of his contract and Tottenham risk losing him for free next summer. Photograph: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images
Christian Eriksen during training. The Dane has only one year left of his contract and Tottenham risk losing him for free next summer. Photograph: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

Aston Villa ought to feel flattered. Following Christian Eriksen’s match-winning cameo from the substitutes’ bench against the newly-promoted side on Saturday a list of pundits from Jamie Redknapp to Pascal Chimbonda have warned Tottenham that if they lose the influential midfielder this season that elusive first trophy under Mauricio Pochettino may never come about.

Pochettino himself has spoken of his frustration at the English transfer window closing while a player such as Eriksen is still available for the next couple of weeks should Real Madrid renew their interest, and in support of their manager’s position Tottenham are understood to be willing to double the Dane’s wages if he will sign a new contract worth a reported £200,000 per week. It is unlikely to have taken a second-half intervention against a tiring Villa side to alert Spurs to the value of Eriksen; the club are only too aware that he is now entering the final year of his contract and could talk to potential suitors about leaving on a free as early as January.

Should Eriksen run his contract down Juventus could be a likely destination. The patient Italian club have established picking up quality players for next to nothing as a virtual modus operandi in recent years, and there is no doubt that Eriksen is good enough to follow the route taken by Paul Pogba, Aaron Ramsey and Emre Can out of English football in the past. That would be a disappointment for Spurs, and their hard-nosed chairman Daniel Levy, as selling Eriksen to Real Madrid before the European window closes on 2 September would be preferable to losing such an important player for nothing.

Three options are open to Eriksen, who has said he feels ready for a new challenge. He can stay where he is for more money, wait until the end of the season to leave on a free, or consider any offer that comes in over the next week or two. The trouble with the third option is that it is not really an option at all until Real Madrid or someone else make a move. While it is likely that initial discussions have taken place at some level behind the scenes, with Real Madrid adopting their usual ploy of letting the world know they are interested in signing a player then going quiet on the matter as the deadline approaches, the long-mooted move to Spain is for the moment out of the player’s hands.

Despite the handsome offer of a new contract, Spurs would not really expect to be able to fight off a serious bid from Real Madrid, should one actually materialise in the next few days. Eriksen has been at Tottenham for six years and anyone could understand a 27-year-old finding the chance of a move to the Bernabéu hard to turn down. From a purely financial point of view a firm cash offer from the Spanish giants would suit everyone best apart from Pochettino, even if Spurs wish to be seen to be trying their utmost to keep the player, but will one arrive now Real appear to have cooled their interest?

Still in the market for Pogba, on whom Zinedine Zidane is thought to be more keen, Real are not in desperate need of midfield reinforcement, and why should they pay out now for a player who will be available for nothing next season? Even were Eriksen to sign a new contract at Spurs it is believed he would insert a clause enabling him to move to Spain or Italy should an offer of a certain size come in, yet though that would earn him a substantial pay rise and represent the best of all worlds for the individual, the scenario is nowhere near as attractive to potential foreign buyers as biding their time and talking to him as a free agent in January.

What should a club like Tottenham do in these situations? Resign themselves to losing the player is usually the answer. Ian Wright has said Spurs need to do something to prevent key players leaving for nothing, without offering any advice as to the best way of achieving that aim. A footballer who enters the last year of his contract having resisted invitations to sign a new deal has probably made up his mind already, and the increased wages presently being bandied about are most likely just window dressing for public consumption.

Tottenham will either lose Eriksen for a sum of money or they will get another season out of him on his present terms. There is no suggestion that he intends to sulk or cause problems if he has to stay another year in London. That is not the worst set of circumstances a club could be faced with, and Tottenham need to find a way to make the best of it then move on. That seems to be what the player hopes to do, but players are not the only participants in this game who can be invigorated by new challenges. The challenge for Spurs at the moment is to show that no one is irreplaceable, not even a playmaker of Eriksen’s class.

The Guardian Sport



Riyadh to Host FIFAe Finals 2024 on December 5-12

General view of Riyadh/ File Photo-AAWSAT
General view of Riyadh/ File Photo-AAWSAT
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Riyadh to Host FIFAe Finals 2024 on December 5-12

General view of Riyadh/ File Photo-AAWSAT
General view of Riyadh/ File Photo-AAWSAT

The FIFAe Finals 2024 will mark the first time that the event includes multiple esports titles, establishing itself as the ultimate stage for both the FIFAe World Cup™ featuring Rocket League and the FIFAe World Cup featuring eFootball™ on console and mobile, respectively.
Hosted at the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) Arena at BLVD Riyadh City, the event will unfold in two stages. It begins with the FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League from December 5 to 8, followed by FIFAe World Cup featuring eFootball™, on both console and mobile, that will run December 9 to 12, SPA reported.
Ahead of the eagerly anticipated tournaments, SEF chief executive Turki Al-Fawzan said, "As we continue to strengthen Saudi Arabia's position as a global leader in esports, hosting the FIFAe Finals 2024 is a proud moment for us. This event not only highlights the Kingdom's commitment to the esports ecosystem but also provides an unparalleled opportunity for players from across the world to showcase their talent and passion on a global stage. We're excited to witness the next chapter of esports history unfold right here in Riyadh."
Meanwhile, FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom said: "This year's addition of multiple new titles marks a major expansion for football esports tournaments, offering players from diverse ecosystems the chance to compete on the biggest stage under the FIFAe banner. We're excited to continue this momentum together with the SEF and look forward to bringing this event to life in December together with our partners and publishers."
The prestigious event offers players the opportunity to represent their nations and lift the official FIFAe World Cup Trophy on the biggest stage. With 16 countries competing in Rocket League and up to 18 countries going head-to-head in eFootball™, the tournaments promise to be an exhilarating showcase of the world's top talent, fueled by intense national pride for the first time in these esports ecosystems. Full details on the competing nations and the tournament format can be found at FIFA.GG.
In line with Rocket League's third-party regulations, the prize pool for the FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League stands at $250,000. The prize pool for both eFootball™ competitions, console and mobile, totals $100,000 each, bringing the total prize distribution for the FIFAe Finals 2024 to $450,000.
Boasting a gaming-savvy population, strong participation in FIFAe competitions, and a legacy of world champions, Riyadh was chosen as host of the FIFAe Finals 2024. With SEF as a presenting partner, the FIFAe Finals are continuing to expand, engaging local and global communities in this growing ecosystem. All days of the FIFAe Finals 2024 are open for the public on a walk-in basis.
The FIFAe Finals 2024 are the second FIFAe event of this year after the inaugural FIFAe Next Gen event in Liverpool, England, which included the first-ever FIFAe World Cup featuring Football Manager, alongside the FIFAe Fame Your Game Cup.