Christian Eriksen has said that he felt like a “black sheep” at Tottenham Hotspur as he ran down his contract prior to his January transfer to Inter Milan, per BBC Sport.
What’s the word?
The Denmark international had attempted to exit the club in the summer, outlining his desire to take on a new challenge, with sources saying that he was hoping to join either Real Madrid or Barcelona.
No move materialised, however, and he instead joined Inter in January, sealing a reported £16.9m transfer to the San Siro.
Eriksen had made 20 appearances in the Premier League prior to his switch and he has now revealed that he felt like an outsider in his final months at the club.
He said: “If you have a short contract, you will be the black sheep. Of course, I did the interview. I was very honest. I felt I had to be honest.
“I didn’t want to hide like a lot of players do. Everyone is different. I was honest. I wanted to say it out loud.
“I did get the blame for a lot of stuff, for being the bad guy. I read I was the bad person in the changing room, that ever since I said I wanted to leave, it was no good me being there.
“To be honest, over the last few years, if anything came up, any player would think about leaving but I was the guy who said it publicly.”
No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?
Keep playing well, then
Eriksen wasn’t seen as the black sheep because he wanted to leave the club.
Spurs players can be understood for wanting to step up to the likes of Real and Barca but he downed tools after his failure to leave.
Per WhoScored, of all players to start 10 games in the Premier League, only Danny Rose had a lower average rating than Eriksen – 6.49 to 6.51. It is no surprise that both were allowed to leave, with the left-back moving to Newcastle United on loan.
Had Eriksen kept his performance levels up and managed to provide more than two assists from attacking midfield, perhaps he wouldn’t have felt like so much of a black sheep.
He brought this on himself and has no one else to blame.
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