Christian Eriksen, arguably the most creative player currently on Tottenham Hotspur’s active roster, may never suit up for the team again. After leaving him on the bench to start Spurs 1-0 loss to Newcastle United today, manager Mauricio Pochettino said he simply isn’t sure.
The Danish winger, who has one year left on his contract with the north London side, has openly pined for a move away this summer. Linked heavily with Real Madrid, the Spanish transfer window remains open until Sept. 2, and it’s clear that Eriksen’s uncertain future is a major distraction hindering the team.
“We are waiting to see what happens,” Pochettino said in a post match media opportunity.
“It’s not an easy situation. We know this can unsettle the group but we know in 10 days it will finish [when the window closes] and things will be clear.”
Eriksen came on in the 62′ for Kyle Walker-Peters, and through three games, Spurs have yet to score without him on the pitch. While this situation is certainly bad right now, things could get worse if they decide to sell him. Worse yet, with the transfer window already closed in England, the north London side won’t be able to buy anyone to replace him.
The Dane reportedly turned down the chance to join Manchester United.
Pochettino maintains that this current situation is no excuse for the team losing however.
“When you lose, the players who don’t play are the best. With Christian we win and we lose a lot of games. I accept that situation is like this. If we won 3-0 today no one talks about different names,” the Argentine continued.
“I cannot find excuses about the transfer window being open to justify that performance or the result. We cannot find the way to be solid and to have consistency for different reasons.”
“I am going to be happy in 10 days after we play Arsenal when the transfer window closes in Europe and to have the player involved until the transfer window again in January.”
The loss dropped Tottenham to seventh in the standings. A week from now they’ll be at the Emirates for the first of the two north London derbies this season.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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