Over the last few years, Tottenham Hotspur have been the home to countless attacking talents, with many capturing the hearts of the fanbase after their respective moves to North London.
James Maddison is just one talent out of multiple in Ange Postecoglou’s current first-team setup, becoming a key player in the Aussie’s side after his £40m move from Leicester City during the summer of 2023.
In the Englishman’s 39 appearances for the club, he’s registered a total of 18 combined goals or assists, averaging a contribution every other game during his opening 12 months or so in the capital.
Winger Dejan Kulusevski has also impressed during his near three-year stint in North London, registering double figures for goal contributions in every campaign he’s featured in at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Swedish international has even featured in central midfield for Postecoglou in recent weeks, potentially following in the footsteps of one player who was adored by many during his time at the club.
Christian Eriksen’s stats for Tottenham Hotspur
Danish attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen joined Spurs in a £11.5m deal from Ajax back in the summer of 2013 - going on to make a huge impact during his six-and-a-half years at the club.
He was a consistent performer under various managers, including Mauricio Pochettino, making over 35 appearances in each season up until his departure back in January 2020.
Eriksen accumulated a total of 305 appearances for the Lilywhites, often catching the eye with his passing range and eye for picking out a teammate or the back of the net.
The now 32-year-old registered 69 goals and 88 assists during his time in the capital, winning the club’s Player of the Year award on two occasions, whilst helping the club reach the Champions League final back in 2019.
However, he left North London under José Mourinho back in January 2020, wanting a new challenge with Inter Milan - joining the Italian giants in a £17m deal - a deal which saw the club make a profit on their investment.
His departure undoubtedly left a huge hole in attacking areas, leaving the side with a lack of creativity in certain games with Eriksen’s intricate passing often helping the side in those cagey affairs.
Despite this, there was belief around the club that they already had a readymade replacement for the Dane within the club’s academy, with the youngster having the talent to step up into the first team under Antonio Conte in 2022.
The player who was a readymade Eriksen replacement
Midfielder Harvey White is a product of the club’s academy, often being in and around the first team for many years, but mainly featuring as a regular for the youth sides.
He made his senior debut for his boyhood side back in November 2020, replacing Dele Alli in the 4-0 Europa League victory over Ludogorets - featuring at the tender age of just 18.
However, he would only make one more appearance that season, before having to wait another two years before getting another chance in the first team, this time under Antonio Conte.
White only featured once under the Italian, for a total of just four minutes as a substitute in the Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace on the 4th of January 2023 - a game that would be his last for the club.
He returned to the youth sides, with his tally of five goals and four assists the season prior, drawing comparisons to former star Eriksen from journalist Emma de Duve - but ultimately, he never was given the opportunity to showcase his talent in North London.
The now 23-year-old has found a new permanent home with League One side Stevenage, joining Alex Revell’s side for an undisclosed fee during the summer transfer window back in 2023.
The youngster has since made 31 appearances for Boro, taking his game to the next level this campaign, registering one goal and four assists in his first 13 games of the new season.
White still has an abundance of time to fulfil his potential, with regular game time at his current side giving him the best possible opportunity of doing so.
It’s a shame to see a player with such high potential fail to reach the heights he was once dubbed to reach - but hopefully he can prove to Spurs that they made the wrong decision in allowing him to leave.