The next Eriksen: Spurs offered chance to sign amazing English-born star

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The future is looking bright for Ange Postecoglou's vibrant group of Spurs players. Having finally formally welcomed Lucas Bergvall to the club this summer, Archie Gray has also arrived and Mikey Moore has lit up pre-season.

A striker could also be on the way to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with Dominic Solanke reportedly honing in on a switch to north London.

Will the club's business conclude there? Quite possibly, although they have been offered the opportunity to sign a new midfielder.

Midfielder offered to Spurs

The Lilywhites have already signed Gray this summer but whether he features solely as a midfielder remains to be seen.

It was at right-back where Gray shone so bright for Leeds United last term and despite Pedro Porro having that spot on lockdown at Spurs, there is a belief that the Yorkshireman could force his way in.

With the departure of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and the potential exit of Oliver Skipp, there could still be a spot left in the centre of the pitch.

That could be handed to Celtic star Matt O'Riley. Reportedly valued at around £25m this summer, Spurs insider Paul O'Keefe has suggested that the player has been offered to Postecoglou and Co via agents.

Sadly for supporters, he is 'not convinced' that they'll pursue a deal.

How Matt O'Riley compares to Christian Eriksen

Spurs have had some wonderful players over the last decade or so but few personify class quite like Christian Eriksen.

The Dane is an icon from the final days of White Hart Lane, the attacking midfielder scoring 69 goals and assisting 88 goals in 305 games for the club.

He was a creative marvel, the type of player capable of producing a moment of ingenuity to win you a game of football.

It’s arguable that since he left they haven’t had a player quite like him. James Maddison has tried and at times has emulated Eriksen.

He was on fire in the first half of last season, contributing with eight goal involvements in 11 matches, but injury derailed his campaign and once the Englishman returned in the New Year, he only contributed to the Spurs cause with one goal in 17 outings.

So, how about finding another option? Well, in the "phenomenal" O’Riley - as he was dubbed by Brendan Rodgers - they could well find that. Let’s see how last season’s Hoop racked up against a prime Eriksen.

Last term, the English-born Denmark international was a revelation for Rodgers’ Celtic side, scoring 19 times and providing 18 assists for his teammates across all competitions.

Already there are parallels with Eriksen in the way they contribute effectively in the final third. From the stats above we can see that they produced a similar number of key passes and shot-creating actions across their respective seasons.

A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent's goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.

It’s O’Riley who will also do the dirty defensive work while Eriksen was evidently more progressive with his passing and carrying.

That’s not to say the Celtic sensation can’t do that himself. However, pivotally, if Postecoglou is to replace the output of their Danish hero, then he will be able to lean on O’Riley’s immense level of creativity and goalscoring.

It’s unlikely he’d produce a similar degree of output at Premier League level - he failed to score in last season’s Champions League after all - but his quality is there for all to see. This could well be a transfer that goes down a treat at Tottenham.