When people think of Tottenham Hotspur's modern greats, there are a few names that always pop up, and understandably so.
The first will almost certainly be Harry Kane, followed by Gareth Bale and then perhaps Son Heung-min or Luka Modrić, but one player who doesn't get enough recognition from outside the fanbase is Christian Eriksen.
The Dane may be in the twilight of his career at Manchester United today, but for the six and a half years he spent in North London, he was one of the most exciting attacking midfielders in the Premier League.
So, fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club to one of the most exciting midfielders on the continent, who could not only be their new Eriksen but also a dream upgrade on the inconsistent James Maddison.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
With how poorly this season has gone for Spurs, the summer has to be a big one in terms of recruitment, and based on the last few weeks of reports, it certainly seems like it will, with Dean Huijsen being one of the latest stars touted for a move to N5.
The Bournemouth star supposedly has a release clause worth £50m in his contract, and while that seems like a lot of money for a teenager, he's already a regular starter for an upwardly mobile Premier League side and now has two senior caps for the Spanish national team.
Further up the pitch, the North Londoners are also reportedly keen on signing Sunderland's incredibly exciting Jobe Bellingham.
The younger brother of Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham would be available for around £20m, and considering he's been compared to a young Dele Alli and has already amassed a tally of seven-goal involvements in 36 games this season, that could prove value for money in the long term.
However, Daniel Levy and Co will also be after a midfielder who'd be able to hit the ground running and make an instant impact next season, which helps explain their interest in Oihan Sancet.
According to recent reports from Spain, the Lilywhites are one of three Premier League sides keen on signing the Athletic Bilbao star, alongside Liverpool and Aston Villa.
Unfortunately, on top of having to contend with the competition, the North Londoners would have to stump up some serious cash to get their man, as he has a release clause in his current contract worth around €80m, which converts to about £69m.
It would be an incredibly costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but as he could be a dream Maddison upgrade and Spurs' first genuinely great attacking midfielder since Eriksen, it's one worth fighting for.
How Sancet compares to Maddison & Eriksen
So, before we get into the comparison between Sancet and Maddison, what makes the latter capable of being Tottenham's next Eriksen?
Well, the first thing to say is that since the Dane left in January 2020, the North Londoners haven't really replaced him, as even though the former Leicester City star has impressed here and there, he, nor has anyone else, been able to produce the consistent performances that the former Lilywhites star did.
This is where the Bilbao star could come in, as, since the start of the 22/23 campaign, he has scored 32 goals and provided 11 assists in 108 appearances, totalling just 7197 minutes, meaning he's averaged a goal involvement every 2.51 games or every 167.37 minutes, primarily from attacking midfield.
Moreover, he also scored in the final of the Copa del Rey last season, a trophy the Basque side last won in the 1983/84 season, so it would be fair to say that he has the track record and CV to be viewed as a player capable of carrying on the mantle last held by Eriksen.
With that said, how does he stack up against the player he could replace in Ange Postecoglou's midfield?
Well, when looking at their raw output from this season, it appears as if the Englishman comes out on top, as he's managed to rack up a haul of 11 goals and nine assists to the Spaniard's 16 goals and three assists, but when you take a look at how much they've played this season, the picture changes.
The Coventry-born star has made 42 appearances, totalling 2562 minutes, meaning he's averaged a goal involvement every 2.1 games, or every 128.1 minutes, which is still impressive but pale in comparison to the Bilbao ace.
For example, the "box-crashing" game-changer, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has made 29 appearances, totalling 1782 minutes this season, meaning he's averaging a goal involvement every 1.52 games or every 93.78 minutes, which might be verging on world-class territory.
Ultimately, while Maddison is a useful player to have in the squad, he's not been able to reach the heady height that Eriksen did in his pomp at Spurs, whereas Sancet is currently showing that he very much could.
So, Levy and Co should do all they can to sign the Spanish maestro this summer.