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Danny Rose reveals what Tottenham players think about Christian Eriksen's contract saga
DANNY ROSE insists it is “vital” Daniel Levy “looks after” Christian Eriksen when it comes to contract negotiations in the summer and revealed the Tottenham players trust him to get the business done despite links to Real Madrid.
Tottenham vs Brighton: Christian Eriksen discusses win
The Tottenham playmaker enters the final year of his current deal in the summer with the rest of the dressing room watching keenly to assess the real ambitions of the club.
Real Madrid believe they could sign the Denmark international for £100m, or he could walk away for nothing 12 months down the line. But Rose wants Levy to persuade the 27-year-old to commit his long-term future of the club.
Playing in the new world-class stadium and attending the club’s state-of-the-art training facilities on a day-to-day basis is an obvious attraction.
But Rose, who has openly criticised the club in the past for its limited pay structure, believes it is time for Levy show the club’s ambition through transfer-fees and wages.
“We have got the foundations, but it is not just the foundations that attract players, or make players want to stay, or want to stay,” he said. “We have got a great base now and it is out of the players’ control.
“We have got every foundation we could possibly want. The training ground, the stadium, the fan base, the players… we just have to take that next step next season and see where that takes us.
“We just have to trust that the people upstairs are going to do whatever they see fit to make that next step.
“I hope Christian does sign and obviously the lads in the changing room trust in the people upstairs to get him to do that. We will have to wait and see and hope he signs.
“It is vital. If you look over the five years the manager has been here, I think Christian has played the most games and that says a lot.
“When Christian does not play, people do question whether we look the same. He links everything up for us and it is a pleasure to play with him. He is such a hard worker and so creative.”
His 177 Premier League appearances under Mauricio Pochettino are six more than Hugo Lloris’s tally and 10 more than Harry Kane has managed.
More importantly, his 40th goal since the current Tottenham manager arrived keeps Tottenham in pole position for a Champions League place next season in a week in which their main rivals slipped up.
Tottenham vs Brighton: Pochettino reacts to 1-0 victory
“We have done it quite a few times this season; or rather Christian has done it quite a few times,” Rose said. “Once upon a time, it might have been surprising for Tottenham to keep going, keep fighting and never knowing when they are beaten.
“But I am not surprised we did it against Brighton. We were just thankful that it was Christian on the end of that shot.
“Obviously it was a well-deserved three points and we are over the moon that we made the best of the other bad results this week.”