Why Brentford signing Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen is a terrible idea
- Matt Whiley
- 25 January 2022
The Bees are rumoured to be lining up a short-term deal for the 29-year-old. Matt Whiley looks at why it is a lose-lose situation for the club and player.
It was the moment of the summer that shocked a continent. When Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch shortly before half-time of his nation's Euro 2020 clash with Finland in Copenhagen, millions watched on in horror.
Eriksen had suffered a cardiac arrest, a medical event that has a survival rate of less than 12 per cent. Yet, thanks in no small part to, among others, Danish captain Simon Kjaer plus doctors (and brothers) Morten and Anders Boesen, he survived.
Now, at the age of 29, thoughts of resuming his career are heavily on Eriksen's mind. He had his contract cancelled by Inter Milan after Serie A rules prohibited him from playing with a defibrillator, leaving him a free agent. Strong rumours are now circulating that newly-promoted Brentford are set to offer him a contract until the end of the season.
Is this a particularly good idea by Brentford? Honestly, no, it absolutely is not. Planet Sport brings you three reasons why the Bees' plan to sign Eriksen is a terrible one.
No one else has attempted to sign him
The fact that Eriksen is being forced to find a new club at all means any possible move for him is fraught with risk. Although the application of VAR in the English top flight might suggest otherwise, regulations in football aren't thought up on a whim, and especially not those which concern such important matters as these.
Serie A rules do indeed ban Eriksen from playing while he has in place the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) he had fitted after his collapse last year. The ICD sends electrical pulses to regulate abnormal heart rhythms, and seems to be a major part of the pathway towards Eriksen resuming his career.
Yet clearly, at some point, Serie A league bosses have sat down and decided that should it ever come down to it, a footballer playing in their league with such a device would represent too much of a risk. Why? For something as serious as this, shouldn't the medical voices in the room have reached a consensus? It's a risky business.
The psychological effects will weigh on his mind
Footballers, especially top-level ones, have great mental strength; it's something that's often repeated and generally, true. They are required to compete at an elite level time and time again, which is as draining psychologically as it is physically. The effects on Eriksen's mental state, therefore, should be taken very seriously. Quite apart from the fact he has not played in seven months, there is bound to be a little tentativeness about Eriksen when he steps foot on a competitive football pitch for the first time since that fateful day.
As almost everyone can attest to, even something like nervousness can increase your heartbeat, and given the precarious nature of Eriksen's situation, that would be the last thing he needs. When that day for him to again walk out as a professional footballer comes, all the medical tests in the world can't recreate the effects on his body, and all the coaching techniques can't guard against intrinsic human nerves.
Do Brentford really need him?
The other thing about elite sport is that it is cutthroat; there is no room for sentimentality. The news of Eriksen finding a new club, and potentially succeeding there, would be well received by almost every fan in existence. Brentford would certainly go up in many people's estimations if they were to be the ones to offer that opportunity to him.
But fundamentally, top-flight football clubs cannot sign players because of that. They have to fit into their team, and right now, does Eriksen really fit into the Bees' line-up? Manager Thomas Frank has overwhelmingly opted to deploy a 3-5-2 in the Premier League, with the straight bank of five midfielders meaning there is no advanced attacking midfielder role for Eriksen to take on.
What's more, the central midfielder role, in the middle of that bank of five, where Eriksen would likely slot in instead, is currently occupied by his compatriot Christian Norgaard, and he has been one of Brentford's most consistent performers so far this season. Eriksen certainly wouldn't be the type of transformational star who takes on a position that the Bees are desperately lacking in.
