da fezbet： The English media would have you believe that Denmark and England’s friendly meeting on Wednesday night was meant to be the Jack Wilshere cotillion. The night that the Arsenal midfielder announced himself to European high society as a potential international starter and a key cog in England’s short, medium and long-term future.
da poker： This may well remain the case, however the diminutive midfielder was overshadowed by an even younger prospect on Wednesday night, one that may well interest a few Premier League managers come the summer. Christian Eriksen, the Ajax playmaker was the star in a losing performance for the Danes, and is, remarkably only a month younger than England’s great white hope.
The baby faced Eriksen had a far greater impact on the fixture than his much hyped opponent, providing the cross for Daniel Agger’s opener, and striking the post with a drive from outside the box. Wilshere, whilst appearing comfortable on the ball, was a little ineffectual, and was removed at half-time, presumably as a result of a pact with Arsene Wenger. Eriksen was allowed the full 90 minutes to showcase his talent and remained a constant threat to Fabio Capello’s men.
Despite the acclaim, Eriksen at 18 is very much in the early stages of his development at Ajax. Despite being considered good enough to make the Danish World Cup squad, he is embarking on only his first full season in the Dutch league and a bidding war between the big guns in the Premier League may be considered unrealistic for a player as unproven as Eriksen.
However, there is precedent. At 18 John Obi Mikel was subject to a 15 million pound settlement fee between current club Chelsea and Manchester United back in 2006. Far more recently of course, Andy Carroll’s scarcely believable 35 million pound transfer to Liverpool came off the back of less than one full season spell at Newcastle.
There remains a fine line between pouncing on a young talent before the acquisition of such becomes a major transfer and one that will be scrutinised as a major signing. Eriksen himself has voiced an interest in playing for Barcelona, but has left the door open to Premier League suitors.
Indeed, in the wake of the Denmark game, several of England’s big sides are already said to be eyeing up the youngster, with the Daily Mail suggesting that Liverpool are considering tabling a bid of over 11 million pounds in the summer.
Making snap judgements on the basis of a friendly is the sort of frustrating overreaction that fans feel the media are often guilty of.
If clubs made signings purely on the basis of a performance in a meaningless friendly David Nugent and Lee Bowyer would probably have been snapped up by one of the top four after impressing on their England debuts. It certainly pays to take such displays with a pinch of salt.
Yet, with English talent costing more and more the temptation to take a risk on a young foreign star at a slightly lower premium remains. If Eriksen is able to maintain his level of performance across the final months of the season, bids from English suitors would seem a formality.
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