Christian Eriksen Wishes He Could Decide Spurs Future 'Like in Football Manager'

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen has expressed his frustration at not being able to leave the club in the summer transfer window.

The Denmark international was linked with a possible departure, although the deadline for European clubs to sign players passed on Monday, leaving Eriksen at Spurs until January at least.

Having expressed his desire to take on a new challenge in June, the playmaker was asked how he felt about not getting a move, per Ekstra Bladet (h/t Chris Burton of Goal).

"I wish I could decide just like in Football Manager, but unfortunately I can't," said Eriksen.

The 27-year-old was also asked whether it was a mistake saying he wanted to move on:

"No, it wasn't. But it is football and you never know what happens in football. Many things always come into play.

"To me it is not difficult to clear my head. I don't read much of what is written. And now I have been involved for many years, where there have been many rumours every year. But it's clear that it's been a little more fierce this year because my contract is about to expire.

"I know a lot of people are interested in where I want to play. That's the way it is. This is how it is in a top club if you have done well. There will always be rumours."

If Eriksen had left Tottenham in the previous window, he would have been a massive loss. WhoScored.com summed up how key he has been for the team:

As Eriksen noted, there is now less than a year to run on his contract with Tottenham. That means he will be allowed to discuss a pre-contract with teams from overseas in January with a view to making a free transfer next summer.

Per Burton, Real Madrid had been linked with a move for Eriksen. For now, though, his focus will remain on Spurs and all the indications are that he will continue to be a key player for Mauricio Pochettino's team. The manager said he's happy his midfielder will be able to forget about transfer speculation:

Eriksen started for Tottenham in Sunday's 2-2 draw with rivals Arsenal and he opened the scoring with a poacher's finish:

Given the player's contract situation and Spurs' acquisition of attacking midfielders like Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele, it was understandable that plenty expected Eriksen to move on before Monday's deadline.

Although the player seems frustrated at not getting a fresh challenge, he's arguably been Tottenham's standout player in the early weeks of the season. With that in mind, Pochettino will be confident he can rely on Eriksen up until January, even though speculation will likely continue to simmer in the background.