Arsenal have seldom had reason to be jealous of their fierce north London rivals. Often throughout their respective time in the Premier League, whatever Tottenham Hotspur have managed, the Gunners have surpassed.
However, on the odd occasion, one truly exceptional player has been born out of White Hart Lane to leave the red half of north London envious. Whilst the likes of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and more recently Harry Kane would all likely fit into this category, Christian Eriksen is likely another who many would have desired.
The Denmark international had signed for Spurs as part of the vast funds acquired after selling the aforementioned Welshman, many of which went on to fail dramatically. However, there were a few successes of note.
It took just an £11.5m fee to tempt him from Dutch champions Ajax, and he would go on to play 305 times for the Lilywhites before his eventual departure. The trickster would score 69 times and assist a further 90 too; form which he has translated to almost every club that has been blessed with his presence.
With a tireless work rate to partner his immeasurably creativity, it seemed that during his time in north London, Arsene Wenger could only secure players who boasted the latter for the most part. Eriksen would have been an ideal member of the Frenchman's various squads.
However, nearly three years since his retirement, their prestigious Hale End academy could now be set to churn out their very own version of the 31-year-old in Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand.
Who is Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand?
Having also moved from the Eredivisie in 2020, the 19-year-old midfielder earns glowing praise on the official Arsenal website. In fact, many of the descriptions could be applicable to the current Manchester United midfielder, as they describe him as: "A classy, creative attacking midfielder" who's also a "set piece specialist".
Eriksen too has been known to strike a free kick with success, scoring eight goals direct from them during his time in England.
The teenage sensation would support this in an interview where he detailed his style of play: "I’m a central midfielder and I like to play box to box. Offensively I’m a creative player and I can play with my left or right foot. I score goals and get assists, and defensively I like to think I do my bit too, especially in the transition."
For Arteta's style of play, the young Dutchman seems like the perfect fit for such a tactically astute setup where his versatility will thrive.
Although this season has been marred by injuries, last season allowed the midfielder to score five and assist two in just 16 Premier League 2 fixtures. This campaign was meant to bolster his senior involvement too before those ailments, but it at least shows a desire to prepare him for the first team, where he is destined to one day shine.
Whilst Wenger missed out on a midfielder like Eriksen during his tenure, his second Spanish successor could benefit with M'Hand, who already seems set to enjoy a career of creating and scoring just like the £150k-per-week magician before him.
