Rumoured Arsenal Target Christian Eriksen’s Cut-Price Fee Revealed

Christian Eriksen to Arsenal. Nobody saw that coming 11 months ago.

If you did, hats off to you. Well, sort of, since he hasn’t gone anywhere yet and this is mere speculation. Despite that being the case, Arsenal continue to be linked with Christian Eriksen even after the swap rumours had died down.

Said rumours involved Granit Xhaka going to Inter in the other way, a far-fetched concept that required too many variables to come to fruition, while also constituting a bizarre change in transfer strategy.

With that talk quelled, the Eriksen case hasn’t died down. Reports from the (ever reliable) Daily Star claim that Arsenal have eased off the case of the former Tottenham man, allowing Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund to take a driving seat.

Moving on to ESPN, the outlet offer further insight regarding what price Eriksen could be available for. Having moved to Inter less than a year ago fro £16.9m, the 28-year-old could now be available for as little as £12m in the coming January window. It’s claimed the price tag could interest Arsenal, given the rather obvious financial allure, and that Eriksen is open to moving to his former rivals.

With some quick maths, he’d be £11m less than Dominik Szoboszlai. The choice is pretty clear.

Arsenal need creativity that can attack diagonally and fluctuate positionally. Someone different to Eriksen. The Dane would come in and his natural ability alone would have an impact, sure, but how long that lasts for is another matter.

Arsenal would gladly part with £12m on the spot to secure a top-four berth, but then they’d be stuck with someone (probably on a four-year deal) earning huge amounts of money and at risk of falling into the same situation as he is at currently at San Siro.

Looking at the long-term, Eriksen can’t be deemed a wise addition as it goes against the transfer strategy. A short-term fix for a long-term problem can, at best, satisfy the mid-term, but will have lasting financial implications.

Big earners are set to leave in the summer opening up space in the budget for newer, wiser additions, and signing Eriksen would set the tone for another period of similarly unwise recruitment.

Fortunately, this speculation is just that. If Mesut Ozil can’t get into this team then it’s unlikely Eriksen would. It’s a rumour we can expect to remain as such.