Is Damsgaard the right man to replace Eriksen at Brentford?

 

When it became clear that Christian Eriksen was to leave Brentford this summer, as a Bees fan you'd feel a little aggrieved to see the back of the Dane. Granted, the west London side only handed Eriksen a short-term deal in January, yet some may have expected the Denmark international to go further to repay the faith shown in him by the club. 

 

Nevertheless, Eriksen departed Brentford for Manchester United and, to his credit, there are plenty who'll be forever grateful for the role he played in consolidating their Premier League status. The 30-year-old's exit, though, did leave a huge void in the Brentford midfield that did need filling. And until this week, it seemed as though the club would do little to plug that creative gap. 

 

Aaron Hickey, Ben Mee and Keane Lewis-Potter were the only senior arrivals at the Brentford Community Stadium ahead of the first week of the Premier League campaign, and none could offer the same creative vision or work ethic Eriksen brought to the side. That is, until, Brentford confirmed Mikkel Damsgaard's arrival from Sampdoria on Wednesday. 

 

After Eriksen collapsed at last summer's European Championship due to a cardiac arrest, which he thankfully made a full recovery from, the attention shifted to Damsgaard as the man to pry apart defences. Despite his tentative years and lack of international experience, the youngster took everything in his stride and ended Denmark's Euros campaign as their joint-best rated player, returning a WhoScored rating of 7.28 in the process as the Danish Dynamite made it to the semi-finals of the tournament. 

 

That summer should have been the start of the making of Damsgaard. His performance at the competition didn't go unnoticed and he was linked with a high profile Premier League switch. A transfer, though, failed to materialise and Damsgaard remained with Sampdoria, where he was expected to establish himself as a key man for I Blucerchiati. 2021/22, however, was a disaster for Damsgaard as he made just six league starts for the Serie A side. 

 

A thigh injury sustained in October then saw him admitted to hospital. In November he underwent knee surgery until ultimately it was shown that he suffered from an aggressive form of arthritis. It wouldn't be until April this year that Damsgaard would play again. Now at Brentford, he has huge boots to fill. 

 

What's vital is that he brings the same level of creativity as Eriksen managed during his short stint at the club. Indeed, Eriksen finished first for key passes per 90 (2.7) for the Bees in the Premier League last season, far and away the most for Thomas Frank's side. For context, Ivan Toney (1.3) finished second in this metric, a player who should be getting on the end of chances, not creating them for others. 

 

Now while a small sample size, Damsgaard did manage a respectable 1.7 key passes per 90 across 11 Serie A appearances last season, that ranking second behind Antonio Candreva (2.2) for Sampdoria. That being said, in a more expansive Denmark side, Damsgaard did come close to matching Eriksen's chances created return in the Premier League last season, notably in the Danish Dynamite's World Cup qualifying campaign. 

 

2.5 key passes per 90 was third of all Denmark players, a metric actually topped by new Brentford teammate Mathias Jensen (3.1). However, while Damsgaard doesn't perhaps have the same eye for a defence splitting pass as Eriksen, he makes up for it his ability to ease past opponents. 

 

Eriksen's return of 0.8 successful dribbles per 90 in the Premier League last season is dwarfed by Damsgaard's 2.5 dribbles per 90. This isn't an isolated incident either, with the latter the previous campaign chipping in with 2.6 dribbles per 90 from a larger sample size. He'll get bums off seats at the Brenford Community Stadium and if he can improve his chance creation output, then Frank has a very handy player at his disposal indeed. 

 

 

An additional weapon in Damsgaard's arsenal that does perhaps stand him in higher stead than Eriksen, though, is the former's hard work off the ball. That isn't to say Eriksen is a slouch when out of possession, but rather Damsgaard enjoys the nitty gritty side to the game, moreso than his Denmark teammate. 4.2 tackles per 90 was actually the third most in Serie A last season and this hard working mentality should help the youngster quickly endear himself to the Brentford faithful. 

 

The departure of Eriksen will have been a bitter pill to swallow for supporters, particularly when he lines up for Manchester United in the capital on Saturday afternoon, but in Damsgaard; they have a more than suitable replacement that, when up to speed, should, like Eriksen last season, play a vital role in securing Brentford's Premier League spot for the second campaign running.

Is Damsgaard the right man to replace Eriksen at Brentford?