According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, as cited by ESPN, Real Madrid are in hot pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen. The report also states that the Galacticos are set to face competition from Italian giants Inter Milan.
The Danish superstar has been highly rated for his rich exploits in the Spurs midfield, especially in the last season, as they made it to the final of the Champions League. With Luka Modric on the wrong side of his thirties and both Toni Kroos and Casemiro not being able to live up to the expectations in the last season, Los Blancos are in dire need of a new midfield ace. Eriksen, with his ability to easily dribble past the opposition defence and score crucial goals, could very well be the solution they are looking for here.
Real Madrid’s Midfield Woes
Let’s face it, Real Madrid’s midfielders have not been able to turn on the heat against even the weakest of oppositions last season. Against teams like Girona, Huesca and Levante in the La Liga, stalwarts like Kroos and Modric looked awfully under pressure. In the Champions League as well (especially in the match against Ajax) the Galacticos midfielders were turned into mere spectators as the Dutch giants knocked them out of the competition in the most embarrassing of ways, that too in their own backyard.
Apart from the likes of Kroos and Modric; Marcos Llorente, Dani Ceballos and Isco have also looked ineffective. This failure of the Galacticos to stabilise their midfield on most occasions in the last season calls for immediate actions to be taken and the possible move for Eriksen could be a significant step in that direction.
Why Eriksen?
Let’s look at Eriksen’s statistics from the last term. The Danish midfield ace played 51 matches in total throughout the season for Spurs and had direct involvement in 27 goals, scoring 10 of them and dishing out 17 assists.
On the other hand, Balon d’Or winner Luka Modric has been involved in 12 goals, scoring just four of them while assisting the other eight.
The German “sniper” Toni Kroos was also far from being impressive for the Galacticos last season. The 29-year-old finished the season on a low note, with just one goal and six assists to his name in 43 matches. This shows the gulf in class between the Real Madrid duo and Eriksen.
Where Can He Fit Into Zidane’s Plans?
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, as we all know, has been a complete player throughout his career. If the Galacticos can land the 27-year-old Danish midfielder in the summer transfer window, Zidane would be expected to be more than happy and could put him to good use to stabilise the Real Madrid midfield in the next season.
However, as per the report, Tottenham are looking for at least £100m for their influential midfielder. The Galacticos have already invested heavily in the summer transfer market this summer and Eriksen’s huge price tag could be a turn-off for them. Nonetheless, if Los Blancos could pull off the deal and beat Inter Milan in the race for the charismatic midfielder this summer, it might be a big boost for them ahead of the next season as they would look to return to the top of the table in both the European as well as domestic competitions.
