Barcelona are desperate to find a replacement for Neymar, who left the Catalan side in a surprising and rather earth shattering deal worth €222million. The Brazilian has left a huge void in the side and one ESPN reporter claims Barca should go for Christian Eriksen instead of Philippe Coutinho.
Liverpool’s Brazilian has been linked with a big money move to the Nou Camp but Nick Miller, in his column, suggests our Dane would be a better fit for the Catalans.
Miller compared three players that have been rumoured to be on Barca’s hit list, with Ousmane Dembele being another star who seems to have had his head turned, with the La Liga giants calling.
“Dembele is a young forward with huge talent but also plenty of learning to do. He only scored six goals for Borussia Dortmund last season. Expecting him to replace Neymar and slot alongside Leo Messi and Luis Suarez is, to say the least, quite a lot to ask of a 20-year-old.
“Coutinho is a fine player for sure, but is he what Barcelona need? That they were interested in him before Neymar’s sale suggests they viewed the Liverpool man as a play maker — a man to play as one of three midfielders rather than a replacement for his compatriot. If Coutinho stays at Anfield that will be his role, but it’s not one he’s enormously experienced playing.”
Eriksen – An Underrated Player
Miller then turned his attention to Eriksen, who had another great showing in the 2-0 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
“There’s a sense that Christian Eriksen is still a pretty underrated player — either because others at Tottenham have a higher profile, or because he’s not a particularly demonstrative character, or because he’s not always a player whose best qualities can be displayed in a quick shareable social media clip.”
The attention then turned to Eriksen and how he finds not only players but also space on the pitch.
“But it’s clear that he is exceptional, a delicate master who can quietly control a game, sometimes without the opposition noticing.
“His entire performance in Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Newcastle was sublime, but in particular was a brilliant curling cross that presented Dele Alli with their first goal. Eriksen has an appreciation of space and passing angles which means it’s probably not a surprise that he can dictate games to the extent that he does.”
Miller concluded by adding that even though Eriksen has half a good season, and that Barca are looking to replace not only Neymar but Xavi and Andres Iniesta too, the Dane would be a better fit for the side than Coutinho.
One thing Miller also got right was that Daniel Levy is our trump card and he would ensure that we wouldn’t lose Eriksen on the cheap. Possibly, that is one reason why Barca have not tried to get Eriksen now, as Levy would possibly want all the Neymar money. That can only be a good thing for us!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTLfpv_ii-A
