Spurs thought they had Eriksen’s replacement, now he’s playing in League One

In recent years, Tottenham Hotspur have been home to countless attacking talents, many of whom have captured the hearts of the fan base following their respective moves to North London.

James Maddison is just one of several talents in Ange Postecoglou’s current first team and has become a key player in the Australian’s side following his £40million move from Leicester City in the summer of 2023.

In the Englishman’s 39 appearances for the club, he scored a total of 18 goals or assists, averaging a contribution in every other game during his first 12 months in the capital.

Winger Dejan Kulusevski also impressed during his almost three-year spell in north London, recording double-figure goal contributions in each season he played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Sweden international has even been playing in Postecoglou’s central midfield in recent weeks, perhaps following in the footsteps of a player who was idolized by many during his time at the club.

Christian Eriksen’s stats for Tottenham Hotspur

Danish attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen moved to Spurs from Ajax for £11.5 million in the summer of 2013 – and made a huge impression in his six-and-a-half years at the club.

He performed consistently under various managers, including Mauricio Pochettino, making over 35 appearances in each season until his departure in January 2020.

Eriksen made a total of 305 appearances for the Lilywhites, often attracting attention with his passing range and instinct for picking out a teammate or the back of the net.

The now 32-year-old scored 69 goals and 88 assists during his time in the capital, won the club’s Player of the Year award twice and helped the club reach the Champions League final in 2019.

However, he left north London under José Mourinho back in January 2020 and wanted a new challenge at Inter Milan – joining the Italian giants in a £17m deal – a deal that saw the club make a profit from his investment.

His departure undoubtedly left a large gap in the attacking areas, leaving the team lacking creativity in some games, with Eriksen’s intricate passing often aiding the team in these delicate matters.

Despite this, there was a belief within the club that there was already a ready-made replacement for the Dane in the club’s academy and that the young player had the talent to break into the first team under Antonio Conte in 2022.

The player who was a ready-made Eriksen replacement

Midfielder Harvey White is a product of the club’s academy and has often been in and around the first team for many years, but has mainly played as a regular for the youth teams.

He made his senior national team debut in November 2020 when he replaced Dele Alli in the 4-0 Europa League win over Ludogorets – at the tender age of just 18.

However, he only made one more appearance that season before having to wait another two years to get another chance in the first team, this time under Antonio Conte.

White made just one appearance under the Italian, totaling just four minutes as a substitute in the Premier League game against Crystal Palace on January 4, 2023 – a game that would be his last for the club.

With his tally of five goals and four assists the previous season, he returned to the youth teams and drew comparisons to former star Eriksen from journalist Emma de Duve – but ultimately he never had the opportunity to showcase his talent in north London place.

The now 23-year-old has found a new permanent home at League One club Stevenage and joined Alex Revell’s side for an undisclosed fee in the 2023 summer transfer window.

The youngster has since made 31 appearances for Boro and has taken his game to the next level this season, scoring one goal and four assists in his first 13 games of the new season.

White still has plenty of time to fulfill his potential, with regular playing time with his current team giving him the best possible opportunity to do so.

It’s a shame to see a player with such great potential fail to reach the heights he once expected – but hopefully he can prove to Spurs that they made the wrong decision in letting him go.