Monday, 23 September 2013

Christian Eriksen: I turned down persistent Man City ahead of Tottenham move - Express.co.uk

"I didn't feel ready for the Premier League then, and now it looks like I moved at the right time."

His goal against Tromso confirms that – a fantastic shot into the top corner from well outside the box.

"I'll score more goals like that one on the training ground, and hopefully I can continue in games also," was his modest response.

Then Eriksen revealed why he chose Spurs rather than an even bigger pot of gold and a centrally heated subs' bench.

"I read about the history of Spurs and have seen games over the years. They like a bit of creativity," he explained. Eriksen's hero, though, has no part in Spurs' history. That accolade is reserved for fellow Dane Michael Laudrup, now in charge at Swansea.

"He was probably the one I loved most," he admits, while also recognising the contribution Jol and Ajax made in his journey towards stardom of Bale-like proportions.

"It was exciting at Ajax but you have to wait for the right club to come along. A lot of players moved from Ajax in the last year, which gave me responsibility and made me grow. It made me better," he added.

Eriksen's progress comes as no surprise to Villas-Boas, who said: "For such a young player Christian is extraordinary. We all know adapting to the Premier League is difficult, but the game against Norwich proved we have a mature player who can adapt very quickly.

"He is a pure, creative player playing off the striker as an offensive midfielder. I think he will be very dangerous with the final assist."

All of which makes Spurs' trip to Cardiff today even more exciting for AVB, given the start Eriksen and Spurs are enjoying. There's also a reunion with Steven Caulker, whose £8million move to Wales from Spurs in the summer surprised many.

"Cardiff are unbeaten in their last three games and will attack us with no fear," manager Villas-Boas added. "Steven has settled down very well and Cardiff have the individual quality and organisation. All these things we must be aware of."

The coach understands the public incredulity over the selling of Caulker, a player seemingly on the verge of an England career and sold at a time when Spurs looked threadbare in defence.

"Yes, at that time we were struggling with injuries at the back but we felt the price was right and it was an opportunity we had to take."

The last word went to man of the moment, Eriksen.

"I am here to try to win the title. Everybody wants that but the most important thing is to make Champions League next year. Once you are in the top four, then you can start looking for first place."

However, Fraizer Campbell is determined to take the headlines from Eriksen and his former club today.

Campbell has already helped the Premier League newcomers to one massive scalp, scoring twice in last month's 3-2 home win over Manchester City.

And England frontman Campbell is convinced Cardiff can pull off another shock. He said: "When you come up, you maybe worry about playing the big sides. But when you get a result like we did in our first home game against City, it makes you feel you deserve to be in this league and can manage against the big teams. We've got that belief.

"City were massive favourites and Tottenham will probably be the same, but as long as we believe in ourselves we'll be fine.

"We're going to try to make our home ground a fortress this season. We want teams to come here and be a bit scared."

Campbell, who made 10 appearances for Spurs on loan from Manchester United in 2008, added: "We will try to carry on the momentum from the Man City and Everton games. We've put in some decent performances at home and hopefully we can do that again."

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