Tottenham star Eriksen could fill void left by Sneijder's 2013 Inter exit

At 25 years of age, Wesley Sneijder made the decision to swap Real Madrid for Inter Milan. Then managed by Jose Mourinho, Sneijder was moulded into the perfect, hard working number 10 that the Portuguese manager craves. Acquired for a reported €15m, the low fee was pittance in a summer of high profile transfers. 

Real Madrid spent big to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso in the summer of 2009 and the likes of Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Alvaro Negredo were all moved on to help fund that summer splurge. And, as such, Sneijder was one of the bargain buys of that window, particularly as Inter went on to secure the Champions League and Scudetto that season. 

Having finished fourth in the 2010 Ballon d'Or voting behind Barcelona trio Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi, it reinforced Sneijder's impressive impact for Inter and, to an extent, the Italian side failed to properly replace the Dutchman upon his 2013 exit for Galatasaray. The Serie A powerhouse have had their fair share of players attempt to replicate Sneijder's impact in a number 10 role over the last seven years, including Ever Banega, Radja Nainggolan and Stevan Jovetic, but none were capable of prying apart defences in the same vain as Sneijder, largely due to none a traditional creator in the same mould as the Dutchman. 

That, though, could be set to end this month. Christian Eriksen may have potential suitors across the continent, but it's Inter who look set to win the race to land the Dane. Many speculated that he would leave for Real Madrid last summer, only for a move to Spain fail to come to fruition. With contract talks between the player and Tottenham dead in the water, a move away from north London on a free in the summer seemed the logical solution, yet it now appears that the player is Inter bound. 

For a rumoured £17m, it's another bargain buy for Inter, though Spurs have been forced into a corner in that they have to sell this month and make a minimal profit on Eriksen or lose him on a free in the summer. The 27-year-old has been one of Spurs' most consistent performers following his arrival from Ajax in 2013, but his head has been turned elsewhere for the best part of six months now and the performances show. 

Indeed, Eriksen has earned a WhoScored rating lower than a 6.35 in 35 Premier League matches since moving to north London, 11 of which (31.4%) have come this season. That being said, despite underwhelming and a lack of minutes under both Mauricio Pochettino and Mourinho, Eriksen has showed glimpses of his immense creative ability, with his pass for Serge Aurier to tee up for Dele Alli on Boxing Day against Brighton a prime example. 

What's more, only Son Heung-Min (25) has created more goalscoring chances than Eriksen (23), so it's clear that the latter has been pulling the strings where required. Yet, a sub-par display against Liverpool on Saturday, and the subsuquent reaction from Eriksen at full time where he appeared to be waving his goodbyes to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, was the clearest indication that his days in the capital were numbered. 

And if he can return to his peak with Inter in Antonio Conte's 3-5-2 setup, then the Nerazzurri have just the player to haul them to their first Scudetto since 2010. Some may hint that in leaving Spurs for Inter, Eriksen is taking a backwards step in his career, but unlike Spurs, Inter remain in a title race and have a better chance of participating in the 2020/21 Champions League than Mourinho's side at the time of writing. 

Given only Atalanta (49) and Lazio (41) have scored more goals than Inter (40) in Serie A this season, another attacking player may not be high on the priority list for Conte, but when considering top scorer Romelu Lukaku (23) ranks third for chances created and Marcelo Brozovic (28), a central midfielder by trade, places first for key passes, an additional creator in the final third would undoubtedly improve Inter's chances of silverware and Eriksen ticks all the boxes. 

The Denmark international is coming into his prime and his development under Pochettino means the hard working side to his game would greatly appeal to Conte and the Inter faithful. Stefano Sensi started the season brightly as Inter's link between the midfield and attack, but injuries have restricted the 24-year-old to just one league start since September and even so; Eriksen is arguably a level above Sensi. 

The fact that Eriksen (570) has created more Premier League goalscoring opportunities since his arrival in 2013 reinforces his creative quality and it's this strength to his game that star strike duo Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez can very much maximise. Conte is already blessed with ample midfield options for his favoured 3-5-2 system, but in Eriksen, Inter would finally be landing a player to sufficiently replace Sneijder. The talented Ajax conveyer belt has already been kind to the Serie A title contenders and if Eriksen can return to his best in Italy, and Inter can win the race to sign the Spurs man, then 2020 promises to be a successul year for Conte's side.