Tottenham Hotspur have just lost Mousa Dembele and now they must face up to the fact they could also lose Christian Eriksen in the coming month.
Spurs want their Danish ace to sign a new contract but at the moment his pen seems a long way from the paper and it’s believed he could now choose to leave the club in the summer.
With one year left on his current deal and Real Madrid and Barcelona keen on his services a big-money move could happen before the start of next season.
Eriksen’s time with Tottenham Hotspur, despite a lack of silverware, has been a huge success and seen him develop into one of the world’s best playmakers.
In five and a half seasons he’s scored 45 goals and registered 56 assists so he’s be tough to replace for Mauricio Pochettino.
So, who could Spurs attempt to sign? Find out below.
Nabil Fekir (Lyon)
With rumours of Eriksen’s departure beginning to increase, Tottenham have immediately been linked with a move for France international Fekir.
His move to Liverpool fell through last summer and Chelsea are also believed to be interested in his services.
Even though there are concerns over his previous knee injuries, he’s started 11 Ligue 1 games, scoring five goals and assisting three.
Eriksen is the more tidy of the two but Fekir has the potential to add more goals and keep up a decent level of creativity with 2.1 key passes per 90 minutes.
His defensive contributions aren’t too shabby either but it’s hard to keep up with Eriksen’s impressive work rate.
Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Tottenham were linked with the young German ace last season and it’s no surprise with a number of top European clubs keeping a close eye on him.
Once again, Spurs will have it tough to find a player with the defensive work rate of Eriksen but Havertz’s running is pretty good.
His movement between the lines and smart choices under pressure when it comes to possession will certainly dampen the blow of losing the Dane.
The 19-year-old, perhaps surprisingly, has fired off more shots per game this season and does offer adaptability in a positional sense, much like Eriksen.
Havertz is offers extra height for Spurs at 6ft 2in, making him a fairly well-rounded player for his age.
He could cost a big fee given his age and his potential though.
Kerem Demirbay (Hoffenheim)
Staying over in the Bundesliga, 25-year-old Demirbay has had speculation surrounding a move to Tottenham as far back as 2015, while Liverpool have also scouted him.
Hoffenheim scout Lutz Pfannenstiel told 90min.com about the Turkish midfielder: “He is a complete midfielder with a great balance between offensive creativity and hard defensive work. If a player in his position also can score then you have the complete package.
“Demirbay can play on various positions. He is not just technically but also tactically strong. His ability to solve pressure situations as well as playing the deadly pass makes him very important.”
He certainly can’t compete for goals with Eriksen just yet but he can do some of the things the Dane does in the middle of the pitch.
Isco (Real Madrid)
Having fallen out of favour at the Bernabeu, this transfer isn’t as farfetched as you would believe.
According to the Daily Mirror, agents have been sounding out Premier League clubs with Manchester City and Chelsea well placed to land him.
Tottenham, though, might trump the duo having almost landed the Spain international in 2016.
Mauricio Pochettino attempted to sign the midfielder on loan but missed out.
“Every coach wants to sign the best players,” Pochettino said when asked about his Isco bid. “And Isco is proving he is one of the best players in the world. We have known about him for a while, I have seen him in different clubs in his career, and he has always been a player with great creativity, great capability, beyond the average.
“His magic and quality are absolutely obvious.”