LONDON – Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says midfielder Christian Eriksen has the right to ponder a future away from the club, even though he wants him to sign a new long-term deal.
Eriksen, 26, has been one of the star players for Spurs over the past few years as they have challenged at the top end of the Premier League, but he is reported to be stalling on a new deal.
The Denmark international is out of contract in the summer of 2020, but if he does not sign a new deal by the end of this season, Spurs might be forced to listen to offers in order to get true value for him.
“I’m not a person that suffers too much in this type of situation because football is dynamic,” a relaxed Pochettino said ahead of Friday’s FA Cup third-round clash at Tranmere.
“Football is about interests that as managers or head coaches, we sometimes cannot manage. It depends on many things in this business – different parties that have interests.
“It will be fantastic if Christian Eriksen is going to be committed with the club for a long-term, and if not, it’s his right to do what he wants to do,” he added.
The futures of several other players are likely to come under the microscope this month as a host of exits are expected.
Outcasts Fernando Llorente, Vincent Janssen and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou are likely to leave the club, but established midfielder Mousa Dembele could also be on his way out.
The Belgium midfielder has only six months left on his current deal and with no new one on the horizon, Spurs could listen to offers in the January transfer window to get a fee for him, rather than lose him for free in the summer.
“There is still no news,” Pochettino said. “No news, again like Christian Eriksen, a different situation, it is not only in our hands.”
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Perfect start to 2019! 💪🏻#coys #ce23
A post shared by Christian Eriksen(@chriseriksen8) on Jan 1, 2019 at 12:38pm PST