With each game going on, Eriksen is less and less likely to become Brentford's player next season. Maybe that's not surprising – his talent is always above the middle level in the Premier League – but no one expected him to do so well under Thomas Frank. Brentford have won all five of Eriksen's starting games, winning 38 per cent of the points in the 2021-22 Premier League season. Eriksen scored one goal and assisted two more, although his contribution far exceeded those numbers.
In fact, Eriksen looks like he was born again, not only seizing the moment but also playing in a subtle new way, where he plays a more important role in Brentford's different position to reflect his position at the club. Inevitably, this state of affair led to rumors that Eriksen would return to Tottenham Hotspur – where he would be heroically welcomed despite his difficult end in North London – and teamed up again with Conte, who won the Serie A title at Inter Milan last season under the latter.
In theory, it's a perfect transfer, and it's the best way for Eriksen to show his abilities ahead of this winter's World Cup. Conte said back in February that "it would be good for me to have him again" and that a high-profile free transfer would certainly satisfy Tottenham president Daniel Levy. However, it's unclear whether Eriksen will be able to take a seat in Conte's 3-4-3 game against Tottenham, or whether he will be happy to be an ordinary player after Brentford became the number one star.
Tactically, Eriksen looks like a good fit, especially now that he's excelling in a deeper midfield role for Brentford. Unlike his time at Tottenham and Inter, Eriksen is running out of time in attacking the third zone. Instead, he tends to find himself the last in Frank's midfield trio, receiving the ball from centre-backs and passing the ball to the forward. As a key figure on the team, Eriksen plays a key role in a more conservative system than ever before, preferring more possession and playing to his central position in a team that is usually not a majority of possession (the average possession rate in these five games is 44.6%).
Eriksen's resistance under deep pressure helped Brentford take the initiative in midfield, and it was only when they hit the attacking third that he began to swim in the 10th position, cleverly linked to Brian Mbeumo and Ivan Tony. That's exactly what Spurs under Conte are missing, and he's deploying a centre-back to counter the trend of pressing highs, meaning Spurs often regain possession from the same area as Brentford and look to attack vertically through the defence.
Throughout Conte's tenure, Tottenham has struggled to create momentum in the dull first half so far, but improved in the second half. At the coach's direction, when Harry Kane withdrew from the front, he began to make longer passes, ready to look for wingers Son Heung-min and Kulusevsky. While this has played a more frequent role in recent times – changing the game against Newcastle United and Aston Villa – the shift shows Conte's disappointment that Tottenham have failed to develop an effective plan. Their problem is that because the attacking launch point is so far behind, and in an area where most teams will be hoarding heavy pressure, Conte's football needs a creative midfielder who can play in his own half.
At the moment, Spurs are repeatedly caught up in the predicament of pushing forward, and neither Bentankuur (who currently has the best forward pass in midfield, but not good enough), Heybel, Winks or Skip is not ideal. But with Eriksen mobilizing Spurs' attacking trident with sharper passes, Conte wants to use artificial conversions – vertical organisations like Kulusewski's opening record for Manchester City, with the appearance of counter-attacking – and the desire to play can be played more sustainably.
The only stumbling block is whether Eriksen has the defensive qualities or positional awareness in Tottenham's midfield double pivot system, where extreme productivity is required to cover the entire width of the pitch. In Brentford, at Inter Andttenham and in his first career at Tottenham, Eriksen worked in a three-man midfield system and overall his freedom on the pitch was supported by two skilled midfielders. Tottenham certainly won't give up 3-4-3 anytime soon, and it wasn't Son, Kane and Kulusewski who created such a dynamic partnership in the first place.
That's the most likely reason why Eriksen will only sign as a role player, either when Conte wants to adopt a more conservative 3-5-2 formation or off the bench to increase creativity when Tottenham are struggling. In a year at the World Cup, as Eriksen enters the twilight of his career, he may find it more valuable to play a star role at a smaller club. As for Tottenham, it would have been easy to re-sign Eriksen on a free transfer.