In January 2022, football fans everywhere applauded the return of the Danish midfielder to the top flight, when he signed for Brentford just seven months after collapsing on the pitch during Denmark’s opening group match against Finland in Euro 2020.

That he could continue playing at the top level so soon after suffering a cardiac arrest is remarkable. Especially impressive is that – despite a potentially career-ending occurrence – Eriksen has made a positive impact on Brentford’s performances since joining the club last winter.

With rumours circulating that Eriksen is close to sealing a move to Manchester United, we have used the Fix tools to analyse the attacking output of Brentford’s top goal scorer, Ivan Toney, before, and after, Eriksen’s arrival in Gameweek 24 last season.

Team Performance

Let’s first look at Eriksen’s impact on Brentford as a team, when he joined in January 2022 (Gameweek 24). The data below has been taken from the Opta Stats Sandbox and shows team performance per 90 minutes from before and after Eriksen’s arrival.

Gameweek 1–23 (Without Eriksen)

Brentford's key statistics between Gameweek 1 and Gameweek 23 - taken from the Opta Stats Sandbox

Gameweek 24–38 (With Eriksen)

Brentford's key statistics between Gameweek 24 and Gameweek 38 - taken from the Opta Stats Sandbox

As can be seen, Brentford improved in every key statistic, with Eriksen improving goal output, creativity, and attacking threat. Most importantly, the number of FPL points Brentford earned per 90 minutes increased from 35.30 to 43.67 after Eriksen joined.

Impact on Ivan Toney

Despite being the fifth highest-scoring forward of the 2021/22 season, Ivan Toney has been priced at just £7.0m. With generous opening fixtures, the Brentford striker could be a top pick for Gameweek 1.

Ivan Toney's heatmap between Gameweek 1 and 23 (left) and between Gameweek 24 and 38 (right) - taken from Opta Player Heatmaps

Looking at Toney’s Opta Player Heatmaps before and after Eriksen’s arrival, there isn’t a great deal to conclude other than Toney was clearly coming deeper into his own half, particularly on the left flank.

If, however, we look at the statistics, the difference in Toney’s attacking performance is quite profound.

Ivan Toney's attacking radar per 90 minutes (prior to Gameweek 24 = light blue / Gameweek 24 and after = black) - taken from the Opta Stats Sandbox

Ivan Toney's attacking statistics per 90 minutes prior to Gameweek 24 (left) / Gameweek 24 and after (right) - taken from the Opta Stats Sandbox

Following Eriksen’s arrival, Toney’s attacking performance (per 90 minutes) improved against almost every key metric, with his Expected Goals more than doubling from 0.27 to 0.55.

Even the creative aspects of Toney’s game improved, with the Englishman firing more crosses into the box, increasing his rate of assists, and creating more big chances.

Summary

If Eriksen left Brentford this summer, then the evidence suggests it could have a detrimental impact on Brentford’s attacking performance. This could lessen the appeal of Brentford’s attackers and potentially reduce Ivan Toney’s ability to generate FPL points.

Conversely, his move to another club could create an opportunity. Should Eriksen arrive at Old Trafford, his presence could improve the attacking prospects of Manchester United’s FPL assets.

By Matt Whelan