Tottenham Transfer News: Latest Christian Eriksen, Mario Mandzukic Rumours

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen has revealed he turned down a move to Chelsea when he was 16. The Danish playmaker is convinced there was a greater chance he would fail rather than succeed if he'd moved to Stamford Bridge as a youngster.

Eriksen told Danish publication Fyens (h/t MailOnline's Jonathan Spencer) why he turned down Tottenham's London rivals: "If I had chosen Chelsea, then my situation today would be completely different. I'm sure. Of course you never say never, because I would have been 100 percent into it, if I had chosen it. I just felt that there was more chance to fail than succeed."

Spencer revealed how Chelsea were one of a number of big clubs across Europe keen on the then-teenage Eriksen: "Eriksen's representative, Martin Schoots, revealed in the summer that the Danish international rejected some of the big clubs in world football, including Chelsea, Barcelona and AC Milan before he moved to Ajax as a 16-year-old."

It's hard to fault the player's logic, even though Chelsea achieved great success in the years since Eriksen opted to sign for Ajax instead. The Blues have won Premier League titles, FA and League Cups, as well as the UEFA Champions League since Eriksen snubbed them.

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However, Chelsea's track record of bringing through young prospects hasn't been the best in recent years. Up-and-coming youngsters are usually sent out on loan or forgotten altogether.

Even promising players such as Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, who arrived at Chelsea at young ages, had to move on to get their chances.

Yet Ajax represented perhaps the best club possible for a 16-year-old with plenty of raw talent but in need of some refinement. The Eredivisie giants have long been a club dedicated to the philosophy of unearthing and developing gifted youngsters.

Most important, precocious upstarts get the chance to play early at Ajax, provided they are good enough. Eriksen soon proved exactly that as he earned rave reviews from some Ajax legends.

In particular, former Ajax and Arsenal maestro Dennis Bergkamp spoke glowingly about Eriksen back in 2010. In fact, Bergkamp reportedly told Gunners manager Arsene Wenger to sign then-18-year-old Eriksen, according to the Daily Mirror (h/t the Daily Mail).

In 2014, the player himself credited Bergkamp with helping develop his game, per Dave Kidd of the Daily Mirror: “I had a lot of dealings with Bergkamp. I started with the under-17s at Ajax and he was the assistant coach and I learned a lot from him."

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Eriksen eventually timed his move to a bigger European league just right. He joined Tottenham in 2013 for a fee worth £11.5 million. He's since become instrumental in how Spurs attack, with his vision, guile and technique vital qualities, particularly for releasing runners on the break.

Eriksen arrived at Tottenham as an established schemer because he waited and learned his trade at a high level with Ajax. That would not have been possible at Chelsea.

Tottenham Linked with Battle for Mario Mandzukic

Italian source CalcioMercato (h/t David Wright of the Daily Express) has linked Spurs with interest in Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic. The north London club are said to be keen to take the Croatian target man in the January transfer window, but they face competition from Premier League rivals West Ham United.

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Mandzukic is seen as an upgrade on summer signing Vincent Janssen, who has struggled since moving to England's top flight. However, Mandzukic represents a curious target for Tottenham.

The 30-year-old is a natural focal point up top. He plays with his back to goal and links with runners. Those are useful qualities, but not ideally suited to the swift-breaking style Spurs rely on.

It's a system demanding a more mobile striker. Mandzukic and his knock-downs and flick-ons are better suited alongside a quicker centre-forward.

Yet Tottenham are strictly a lone-striker team on manager Mauricio Pochettino's watch. He may need a striker who can ease the burden on Harry Kane, but he should find a more suitable target than Mandzukic for playmakers such as Eriksen to aim for.