The Premier League transfer window will soon be open and rumors are already dominating the headlines as clubs begin their summer plans.
For Frank Lampard at Everton, it will be a huge few months while he wants to rearrange and build a team that will get out of every relegation battle and push them back to the top half of the table where they belong.
Part of the business may depend on potential departures and the need to change key team figures, but there are also a number of free transfers that the club can take advantage of this summer. Relations with Burnley defender James Tarkovsky seem to be heating up – but can Christian Eriksen of Brentford also present an opportunity for the Blues?
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A report in The Mirror this week shows that Everton are among the clubs in the race for the Dane, as well as his former club Tottenham and Manchester United. His contract with Brentford expires at the end of the month and while the London club seems desperate to keep him, he is not without options and can line up for another Premier League team when the new season begins in August.
Eriksen spent seven years in the Spurs before leaving for Inter Milan in January 2020. What happened next summer at the Euros will be etched in the minds of football fans, but his return in just eight months was nothing short of remarkable and he was a key figure for Brentford this term.
Because his 30-year-old man was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator after a cardiac arrest, Serie A rules meant he could not continue at Inter Milan and he was released in December last year. He joined Thomas Frank’s country in January and helped guide them to safety.
In just 11 Premier League appearances in the second half of the season, Eriksen scored one goal and four assists. His 4-1 win over Chelsea in April was his first in club football since last year’s events.
All doubts about his suitability were quickly dispelled, as he missed only one team for the match after his debut in late February and accumulated over 900 minutes of play. At Inter, he also has an impressive result with eight goals and three assists in just 60 games in all competitions.
The Everton midfielder certainly needs reinforcements this summer, as injuries affect availability and call into question the future of others. While Eriksen alone is unlikely to be the answer, his addition, along with a more defensive player, will provide additional opportunities for a strong backbone with the creative flair needed to adopt a more progressive tactical approach.
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Eriksen does not necessarily fit the “young and hungry” model that would be ideal for Lampard, but he offers both the Premier League and the European experience and will still feel he has something to prove – and it will certainly be good value as free agent. Not surprisingly, the biggest clubs of the best flights are fighting for his signature.
Everton will have to repel the interest of Tottenham and United, if there is anything that can be said. But it seems to Eriksen that finding the right shape will be key to his decision this summer.
He said last month: “I don’t think there are players who can just choose between clubs because there are a lot of criteria that come into play. There are also many clubs that need to see their way before that happens.
“I have different offers and options that we consider and then make a decision. I would like to play football in the Champions League again. I know how much fun it is, but it doesn’t matter to me. “
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