Midfielder declined to commit when he met Pochettino in Copenhagen in 2018 and set the clock ticking on his departure
![From Danish dinner to Inter move: how Spurs lost control in Eriksen saga | David Hytner](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a319d05e02fa13acf8d28a16977653c860c3b0aa/0_132_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=540131e9c82ad9e30084ab9c3a813a83)
For Mauricio Pochettino, it was time for a charm offensive and the target was Christian Eriksen. It was shortly after the end of the 2017-18 season and the then
Tottenham manager had agreed a new five-year contract at the club. He saw the Denmark midfielder as one of his key lieutenants, fundamental to the next cycle, and he wanted to tell him that, to make a gesture which showed how much he respected him. And so he headed to Copenhagen to see him.
Eriksen knew a place to eat. It was Bistro Boheme, the acclaimed restaurant of Per Thøstesen – who is also chef to the Denmark national team – where the Rossini gold selection caviar starter tips in at £70 and the wine list can be a lethal weapon in the hands of the wrong guest. Pochettino was accompanied by his wife, Karina, and his assistant manager, Jesús Pérez, and a very nice evening it was, too.