Pundit questions if Spurs midfielder is ‘good enough’ to fill Eriksen’s boots

Former Leeds United star Danny Mills has claimed that Giovani Lo Celso could struggle to fill the void left by Christian Eriksen’s departure from Tottenham.

Eriksen has been a mainstay in Tottenham’s midfield for the best part of the last six and a half years following his move from Ajax in the summer of 2013 and in that time he has developed a reputation as one of the best attack-minded midfielders in the Premier League.

However, with the Denmark international’s contract in North London coming to an end, his form suffered considerably in the last year or so causing him to often be overlooked by Jose Mourinho as well as Mauricio Pochettino before him.

The club took the decision to sell him to Inter Milan earlier this month in order to cash in on the playmaker, rather than lose him for free in the summer.

Spurs did make the option to make Lo Celso’s loan move from Real Betis permanent after the Argentine’s improved run of form in recent weeks and Spurs fans will be hoping that the 23-year-old can be the team’s main creative fulcrum going forward.

However, Mills has questioned whether Lo Celso has the ability to turn on the style against the top teams in the Premier League.

The former defender told Football Insider: “He’s a good player. Undoubted ability.

“The difference is, there’s a difference between doing it against Norwich as opposed to doing it against Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Wolves, whoever it may be.

“Is he good enough to be a replacement for Christian Eriksen?”

Spurs Web Opinion

Lo Celso has shown glimpses of his undoubted quality and there are certainly signs that he is capable of evolving into a top player for the club. However, one needs to be patient with him as he is still young and getting used to the pace of the Premier League. While he is a slightly different player to Eriksen, I believe he can be just as successful at Spurs as the former Ajax man.

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