In a recent report, the Evening Standard provided an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg this summer. The same source has claimed that the Saints have asked Spurs to significantly increase their offer if they want to land the Danish playmaker, who prefers to move to North London when the transfer window reopens later this month.
Højbjerg’s Solid Form For The Saints This Season
The 24-year-old has enjoyed another impressive season in the Premier League after putting in a run of commanding performances at the heart of Ralph Hasenhüttl’s midfield. He has taken part in 38 matches for the South Coast outfit this term, securing one assist and picking up five yellow cards in the process in multiple competitions. Højbjerg has mainly been utilised as a defensive midfielder which explains his low productivity in the attacking third.
The Kopenhagen-born talent deserves some credit for averaging 2.4 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 1.5 clearances, 1.4 shots, 0.9 key passes and 1.2 dribbles in every 90 minutes of Premier League football this season (stats via whoscored). His stats shed light on just how influential he can be at both ends of the pitch. However, the jury is still out on whether he has what it takes to secure a regular starting place under Jose Mourinho’s tutelage if he ends up moving to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.
Højbjerg has also earned 33 senior caps for the Denmark national team while netting three goals for his home nation thus far. He is set to play a crucial role for Denmark when the UEFA European Championship finals take place at the end of next season.
What Will The Denmark International Bring To The English Capital?
Höjbjerg can sometimes lack the pace to make recovering runs at the back, which can make him a liability on the pitch. However, he makes up for his lack of quickness by using his incredible strength to overpower the opposition in the middle of the park. The Danish midfielder can sense the danger quicker than most others around him and can pull off some important interceptions and last-gasp clearances for his team.
He is not afraid to produce a tireless shift in midfield and can also orchestrate a few promising goal-scoring opportunities in the final third. Hojbjerg packs a lot of power with his strikes from long range, but he needs to score and assist more goals if he intends to be a success story at the highest level.
Höjbjerg will not only add more power and bite to Mourinho’s midfield, but also enhance the overall quality of his squad. Plus, his ability to impact the game at both ends could make him a brilliant squad player at North London. He will also offer some much-needed competition for the likes of Eric Dier, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko in the race to earn a permanent starting spot in Mourinho’s first-team next season.
