Christian Eriksen’s present meets the Danish midfielder’s past when his former side Ajax travel to Tottenham for the first leg of an unexpected Champions League semi-final for both sides on Tuesday.
But where Eriksen’s future lies will give a good indication of whether times have truly have changed at Spurs.
Ajax arrive in London already in the knowledge that despite reaching a first Champions League semi-final since 1997, they will sell a number of their shining lights this summer and start again.
Frenkie de Jong has already sealed a 75 million euro ($85 million) move to Barcelona for next season, captain Matthis de Ligt is expected to command a similar fee, while Hakim Ziyech, Donny van der Beek, David Neres and Nicolas Tagliafico could also go.
Spurs have benefited themselves from the conveyer belt of talent that rolls through the academy at the Dutch giants.
As well as Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez will come up against their former club in the last four. Tottenham have long since had a similar, if less prolific strategy. Luka Modric and Gareth Bale eventually outgrew Spurs’ status to join Real Madrid, where they went onto win four Champions League titles together. However, having moved into now the biggest club ground in London and edging ever closer to a fourth consecutive season of Champions League football, manager Mauricio Pochettino wants Tottenham to truly belong among the European elite.
“We need to start to think about the new chapter, the new era, to ensure Tottenham is a real contender for the big things,” said Pochettino as the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was opened last month.
