Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has become one of the most important members of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton squad over the past couple of seasons.
Last term, he scored four goals and provided four assists in 31 Premier League matches and although he only has one of the latter so far this campaign, he has still featured in all but one of their 28 top-tier matches so far this term. As the Saints have climbed the table from the relegation zone, Hojbjerg has led the team like only a captain can.
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However, his future is far from clear. During the January transfer window, the Denmark international was linked with a move to Tottenham, but in the end he ended up staying at St. Mary’s Stadium.
However, according to Football Insider, that is far from the end of the matter. Spurs are said to have made the 24-year-old their number one target in the summer, and the former Bayern Munich youngster recently made agent Pini Zahavi his representative – he is a man known for orchestrating transfers, such as Carlos Tevez’s and Javier Mascherano’s controversial move to West Ham, and Neymar’s switch to PSG from Barcelona.
Not only that, Hojbjerg is said to have knocked back Southampton’s attempts to get him to sign a new contract – his current deals runs out in 2021.
It therefore leaves the south coast outfit in a difficult situation – either they lose one of their star players, or they disrupt team morale by keeping him.
Looking at the situation of Christian Eriksen at Tottenham, they should go for the former. Hojbjerg’s compatriot was a vital member of Mauricio Pochettino’s side that made the Champions League final last year – he managed 10 goals and 17 assists in all competitions.
However, in the summer, he made it clear he wanted to leave north London, but he didn’t get his wish – at least not immediately. Before he finally moved to Internazionale in January, his form ran parallel to that of his side.
He managed just three goals and three assists in 28 matches, failing to hit the same previous heights as Mauricio Pochettino was sacked. Whilst it is hard to put all of the blame at the feet of Eriksen, that saga during the summer will have done little to help the Lilywhites in the long run.
Hojbjerg, of course, is a different character to the 28-year-old – for example, he has yet to speak out about his future, and certainly isn’t making it clear he wishes to depart. However, this kind of contract situation can hang over a club, having an impact on team morale as a result.
If such reports are true, and Hojbjerg does not want to stay with Southampton, then they must move him on before it is too late.
Meanwhile, the Total Saints Podcast has criticised this Southampton star.