Does a Christian Eriksen-Leandro Paredes swap benefit PSG and Inter?

Emmet Gates

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 4 min read

Christian Eriksen’s time at Inter is nearing to an end. That’s hardly a secret at this stage. The Dane signed for the Nerazzurri almost a year ago from Tottenham, but the move has been a disaster from the get-go.

It’s been long speculated that Eriksen wasn’t a player coveted by coach Antonio Conte, who is infamously particular about the kind of player he wants. The transfer was an opportunity taken by the club, and it’s fair to say that it hasn’t worked out for either party.

Eriksen struggled to assimilate to life in Milan, and spent much of 2020 living between a hotel and the club’s training ground. Furthermore, Conte equally struggled to implement Eriksen into the Inter starting XI.

The 28-year-old has scarcely kicked a ball this season, with most of his appearances coming in the dying moments of games. A divorce between player and club has looked inevitable for months.

Speculation in Italy has been rife that Inter would be willingly to swap Eriksen for Paris Saint-Germain’s Leandro Paredes.

Like Eriksen, Paredes could be surplus to requirements in the French capital with the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as boss.

Paredes has experience of playing in Serie A, having been at Roma for two seasons in the latter part of last decade. The Argentine signed for PSG from Zenit St. Petersburg in 2019, but has failed to make an impression in midfield for the Parisians.

Where would Paredes fit at Inter?

Should the Argentine sign for Inter, he would ideally fit into one of the three midfield slots in Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2 system.

Inter have struggled for creativity this season, with Arturo Vidal nowhere close to the dynamic powerhouse he was during his peak years at Juventus.

Nicolo Barella has been the club’s standout performer this season, but he’s not the most creative of types. The young Italian is more of a box-to-box operator, much like a modern version of how Vidal was.

Paredes would slot in alongside Vidal and Barella, as according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Conte is a fan of Paredes’ versatility. Furthermore, Paredes is a quicker alternative than Marcelo Brozovic, who he’d likely replace in the starting line-up.

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Where would Eriksen fit at PSG?

Despite the greater star quality at PSG, one surmises that Eriksen would be a better fit in Paris than in Milan.

With Pochettino now confirmed as the new PSG boss, the former Tottenham coach could implement his usual 4-2-3-1 formation right away.

Eriksen could be utilised as a No.10 in this system. Neymar would likely operate on the left, with Kylian Mbappe on the opposite flank.

All three would combine to feed either Mauro Icardi or Moise Kean up top for the French champions.

Conte did try to utilise Eriksen in his own variation as a 10. Early on in Eriksen’s Inter spell, Conte switched to a 3-4-1-2 in order to maximise his talent, but Eriksen looked lost.

However Pochettino would surely give the Dane more creative freedom than he enjoyed under Conte, who demands ferocious work rate from his players. Something Eriksen isn’t renowned for.