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Player Watch: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

BuckeyeSpurs11

Well-Known Member
Aug 5, 2013
1,116
3,459
Appreciate the honest review, Respectfully I do think players from the states do get overstated by the american fans typically. I can't see where another no 8 fits in at the moment.

completely agree - Pulisic has been the only example really to be worth the hype.
 

razzmaster

Well-Known Member
Jun 21, 2008
2,311
13,051
PEH is 100% not my first choice DM but if we are working to a tight budget, looking for leadership, prem experience, young and available then I don't see any better options.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,388
A lot of ppl saying we should go out and get Florentino Luis or Zakaria aren't considering that there are no guarantees they could cut it in the Prem. Some players take years to get there and some don't ever manage it. Equally both will command bigger fees that Hojbjerg will once we get the asking price down.

Hojbjerg is going to hit the ground running. The chances he doesn't settle into his game immediately are very low. We need instant impact in CDM and he will give us that.

There were no guarantees that a huge list of highly successful players in the past would adapt either. Players like Kante, Fernandinho, Ndidi and any number of others were untried but still very successful. Others that have moved within the EPL have flopped. I wouldn't be disappointed with Hojbjerg but it's the old 'would any of our rivals want him' argument. Man City are allegedly interested but I doubt he'd get many minutes for them even if there's any truth in it.
 

Trix

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2004
19,336
329,025
I'm really unconvinced by Hojbjerg and I have to disagree on his passing. It's something Saints fans say is his biggest weakness, how badly and easily he gives the ball away with poor passing.

He doesn't seem particularly progressive and yet his passing accuracy is pretty poor for a CM. He averages 77.7% accuracy.

For comparisons, here are some other PL DMs and CMs:

Ndidi 84.8%
Fabinho 87.2%
Matic 86.3%
Rodri 92.8% / Fernandinho 89.7%
Sissoko 87.4% / Winks 90.2%
Xhaka 88% / Torreira 87.4%
Rice 86%
Millivojevic 81.7%

The players we should be going for instead comparison:
Zakaria 86.7%
Luis 90%


I do like his work ethic and he seems to have some leadership skills but he is not a natural DM at all, he has hardly ever played as a proper DM and he lacks positional sense and defensive awareness for me. He is good at pressing to win the ball back though.
Forget stats. If Mourinho has picked out a gettable player who wants to come in a desperately needed position, we should 100% do everything we can to bring him in.

JM has worked with quite a few of the very best DM's the world has seen. I think that is enough reason to trust his judgement if this is who he wants. Especially when it's not going to be breaking the bank to do so.
 
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sidford

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2003
11,324
29,592
Forget stats. If Mourinho has picked out a gettable player who wants to come in a desperately needed position, we should 100% do everything we can to bring him in.

JM has worked with quite a few of the very best DM's the world has seen. I think that is enough reason to trust his judgement if this is who he wants. Especially when it's not going to be breaking the bank to do so.

Couldn't agree more with this sentiment. If he has identified a player that is actually achievable and fills a massive gap in our squad then how could we not back him?!? While I am far from a Jose fan he has a better eye for a player than any of us and if this is who he wants then we should back him. Remember what happened when we didn't back our last manager......
It's a no brainer for me and if signing a relatively cheap DM means we have some extra cash for another position then happy days.
 

JayB

Well-Known Member
Aug 24, 2011
6,652
26,046
Forget stats. If Mourinho has picked out a gettable player who wants to come in a desperately needed position, we should 100% do everything we can to bring him in.

JM has worked with quite a few of the very best DM's the world has seen. I think that is enough reason to trust his judgement if this is who he wants. Especially when it's not going to be breaking the bank to do so.
I've voiced my concerns over PEH multiple times in this thread but if he is truly the player that Mourinho wants, and would not merely be an opportunistic signing, then I'm all for it. I'm sure Jose knows exactly what he wants from his DM.
 

JonnySpurs

SC Veteran
Jun 4, 2004
5,345
12,398
There were no guarantees that a huge list of highly successful players in the past would adapt either. Players like Kante, Fernandinho, Ndidi and any number of others were untried but still very successful. Others that have moved within the EPL have flopped. I wouldn't be disappointed with Hojbjerg but it's the old 'would any of our rivals want him' argument. Man City are allegedly interested but I doubt he'd get many minutes for them even if there's any truth in it.

Sure, there's always two ways to look at it but the far safer option is to go with the player that has multiple years of premier league experience, IMO.

The brutal truth is that Spurs and City are not shopping in the same market. Even in this current climate they can still go out and spend bigger money than us, particularly now that they know FFP isn't going to touch them.
 

Laboog

Well-Known Member
Jul 10, 2020
654
1,243
If we are going to give Jose a real chance at being successful, we need to buy players he chooses (if they within our budget). PEH is within our budget and if Jose wants him, no reason we should not go after him and no reason we should not be able to sign him.

I'd take him over any of our current DM's so already that's an upgrade to the squad.
 

arunspurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
8,807
35,543
I'm really unconvinced by Hojbjerg and I have to disagree on his passing. It's something Saints fans say is his biggest weakness, how badly and easily he gives the ball away with poor passing.

He doesn't seem particularly progressive and yet his passing accuracy is pretty poor for a CM. He averages 77.7% accuracy.

For comparisons, here are some other PL DMs and CMs:

Ndidi 84.8%
Fabinho 87.2%
Matic 86.3%
Rodri 92.8% / Fernandinho 89.7%
Sissoko 87.4% / Winks 90.2%
Xhaka 88% / Torreira 87.4%
Rice 86%
Millivojevic 81.7%

The players we should be going for instead comparison:
Zakaria 86.7%
Luis 90%


I do like his work ethic and he seems to have some leadership skills but he is not a natural DM at all, he has hardly ever played as a proper DM and he lacks positional sense and defensive awareness for me. He is good at pressing to win the ball back though.

Completely disagree on assessment that he lacks positional sense and defensive awareness.
From what I have seen of him & heard from Saints fans is, his anticipation is top notch and he moves into position earlier than expected - thus able to cut down passes and able to retrieve the ball and progress with transition.
 

BuckeyeSpurs11

Well-Known Member
Aug 5, 2013
1,116
3,459
PEH is 100% not my first choice DM but if we are working to a tight budget, looking for leadership, prem experience, young and available then I don't see any better options.

absolutely AND all reports are Mourinho has chosen him as a realistic option. All of those reasons + the manager wants him.
 

doctor stefan Freud

the tired tread of sad biology
Sep 2, 2013
15,170
72,169
Forget stats. If Mourinho has picked out a gettable player who wants to come in a desperately needed position, we should 100% do everything we can to bring him in.

JM has worked with quite a few of the very best DM's the world has seen. I think that is enough reason to trust his judgement if this is who he wants. Especially when it's not going to be breaking the bank to do so.
Yep- I can’t think a better option give the current scenario
 

dtxspurs

Welcome to the Good Life
Dec 28, 2017
11,234
46,574
A lot of ppl saying we should go out and get Florentino Luis or Zakaria aren't considering that there are no guarantees they could cut it in the Prem. Some players take years to get there and some don't ever manage it. Equally both will command bigger fees that Hojbjerg will once we get the asking price down.

Hojbjerg is going to hit the ground running. The chances he doesn't settle into his game immediately are very low. We need instant impact in CDM and he will give us that.
To be fair, people say this like its 100%... Sissoko was awful and came from within the premier league as well. Llorente was pretty bad as well. It's not a sure thing just because they play in the prem.
 

Nick-TopSpursMan

Well-Known Member
Aug 4, 2005
4,000
18,942
On his passing ability, it's not just the stats, it's what I have seen and this is backed up by Saints fans.

I've found an example here on Saintsweb from September-October 2019 before his contract stuff before anyone mentions that they are just complaining because he's leaving.

'Watched him quite a bit in the game before last and he has a tendency to play with his head down and tries to muscle (best way I can describe it) his passing. It's almost as if he's a step behind and has to rush what he's doing. You get what you pay for though, if you look at those players at City and Liverpool who pass and move effortlessly, they also cost 4-5 times what Hoj did. '

'I've always said Hoj's biggest weakness is his passing it's always been very poor. Anytime he has to do more than lay off a 5 yard pass he seems to struggle. His passing was like that long before Ralph turned up with his play the ball forward quickly philosophy. '

'Probably just me but I have never seen why all the fuss and gushing about PEH. Quite often when watching he seems to give the ball away and set the opposition up for a counter attack. His passing is dreadful and puts us under pressure too much. Romeu seems to have fixed that and be back to his best. Not sure if PEH has reached his ceiling - an adequate, but not good and certainly not great, player.

Certainly cannot see why any top teams would be seriously taking a look at him.'

'we have never adequately replaced Schneiderlin as holding midfielder.'

'Massively overrated player. Said it for ages he just works hard similar to Long, no quality. '

'Never rated him I have seen lads at 5 aside able to pass a football better... Overrated by many I call it how it is he is crap and offers nothing... Change my mind. '





This is the opinion of two saints fans I know too. They always mention how poor he is on the ball and how cheaply he gives it away.



I think his ball winning ability is good but if we have aspirations of being a top 4 club and more again, he needs to be comfortable in possession, we can't afford another player who can't pass the ball properly or constructively.
 

BuckeyeSpurs11

Well-Known Member
Aug 5, 2013
1,116
3,459
On his passing ability, it's not just the stats, it's what I have seen and this is backed up by Saints fans.

I've found an example here on Saintsweb from September-October 2019 before his contract stuff before anyone mentions that they are just complaining because he's leaving.


'Probably just me but I have never seen why all the fuss and gushing about PEH. Quite often when watching he seems to give the ball away and set the opposition up for a counter attack. His passing is dreadful and puts us under pressure too much. Romeu seems to have fixed that and be back to his best. Not sure if PEH has reached his ceiling - an adequate, but not good and certainly not great, player.

Certainly cannot see why any top teams would be seriously taking a look at him.'

'we have never adequately replaced Schneiderlin as holding midfielder.'

'Massively overrated player. Said it for ages he just works hard similar to Long, no quality. '

'Never rated him I have seen lads at 5 aside able to pass a football better... Overrated by many I call it how it is he is crap and offers nothing... Change my mind. '





This is the opinion of two saints fans I know too. They always mention how poor he is on the ball and how cheaply he gives it away.



I think his ball winning ability is good but if we have aspirations of being a top 4 club and more again, he needs to be comfortable in possession, we can't afford another player who can't pass the ball properly or constructively.

I would trust the opinion of Jose Mourinho over two Saints fans - particularly when you read this site and see how quickly we can turn on a player or how harshly negative we can be about our own. Jose more than anything needs his holding midfielder to be a player tough in the tackle and good at breaking up play which PEH has proven to be solid at both.
 

emiley heskey

Well-Known Member
Jul 3, 2020
1,121
1,832
On his passing ability, it's not just the stats, it's what I have seen and this is backed up by Saints fans.

I've found an example here on Saintsweb from September-October 2019 before his contract stuff before anyone mentions that they are just complaining because he's leaving.

'Watched him quite a bit in the game before last and he has a tendency to play with his head down and tries to muscle (best way I can describe it) his passing. It's almost as if he's a step behind and has to rush what he's doing. You get what you pay for though, if you look at those players at City and Liverpool who pass and move effortlessly, they also cost 4-5 times what Hoj did. '

'I've always said Hoj's biggest weakness is his passing it's always been very poor. Anytime he has to do more than lay off a 5 yard pass he seems to struggle. His passing was like that long before Ralph turned up with his play the ball forward quickly philosophy. '

'Probably just me but I have never seen why all the fuss and gushing about PEH. Quite often when watching he seems to give the ball away and set the opposition up for a counter attack. His passing is dreadful and puts us under pressure too much. Romeu seems to have fixed that and be back to his best. Not sure if PEH has reached his ceiling - an adequate, but not good and certainly not great, player.

Certainly cannot see why any top teams would be seriously taking a look at him.'

'we have never adequately replaced Schneiderlin as holding midfielder.'

'Massively overrated player. Said it for ages he just works hard similar to Long, no quality. '

'Never rated him I have seen lads at 5 aside able to pass a football better... Overrated by many I call it how it is he is crap and offers nothing... Change my mind. '





This is the opinion of two saints fans I know too. They always mention how poor he is on the ball and how cheaply he gives it away.



I think his ball winning ability is good but if we have aspirations of being a top 4 club and more again, he needs to be comfortable in possession, we can't afford another player who can't pass the ball properly or constructively.

So they rate Schneiderlin who was flop in both utd and everton?
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,388
absolutely AND all reports are Mourinho has chosen him as a realistic option. All of those reasons + the manager wants him.

If he's the limit of our realistic options I'd say it indicates that we're throwing the towel in when it comes to putting in a decent challenge in the EPL. We've dropped off any kind of ambition on that front anyway and it seems that the finances won't be sanctioned to reverse that trend. Will be interesting to see if other clubs will be guarding their bank balances as aggressively or whether they'll invest in the entertainment side. Seems like we failed on the final push to the summit with Poch and have now decided to bugger off back to base camp.
 

Trix

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2004
19,336
329,025
On his passing ability, it's not just the stats, it's what I have seen and this is backed up by Saints fans.

I've found an example here on Saintsweb from September-October 2019 before his contract stuff before anyone mentions that they are just complaining because he's leaving.

'Watched him quite a bit in the game before last and he has a tendency to play with his head down and tries to muscle (best way I can describe it) his passing. It's almost as if he's a step behind and has to rush what he's doing. You get what you pay for though, if you look at those players at City and Liverpool who pass and move effortlessly, they also cost 4-5 times what Hoj did. '

'I've always said Hoj's biggest weakness is his passing it's always been very poor. Anytime he has to do more than lay off a 5 yard pass he seems to struggle. His passing was like that long before Ralph turned up with his play the ball forward quickly philosophy. '

'Probably just me but I have never seen why all the fuss and gushing about PEH. Quite often when watching he seems to give the ball away and set the opposition up for a counter attack. His passing is dreadful and puts us under pressure too much. Romeu seems to have fixed that and be back to his best. Not sure if PEH has reached his ceiling - an adequate, but not good and certainly not great, player.

Certainly cannot see why any top teams would be seriously taking a look at him.'

'we have never adequately replaced Schneiderlin as holding midfielder.'

'Massively overrated player. Said it for ages he just works hard similar to Long, no quality. '

'Never rated him I have seen lads at 5 aside able to pass a football better... Overrated by many I call it how it is he is crap and offers nothing... Change my mind. '





This is the opinion of two saints fans I know too. They always mention how poor he is on the ball and how cheaply he gives it away.



I think his ball winning ability is good but if we have aspirations of being a top 4 club and more again, he needs to be comfortable in possession, we can't afford another player who can't pass the ball properly or constructively.
You know given 1/2 an hour I could find a dozen posts saying saying every one of our players is useless or basicaly finished on this forum too.

Jose has always seen the DM position as critical and you only have to look back to see who he's bought or used regularly to see he knows this role inside and out. Chances are he'll tweak whoever we get in to play the way he wants, so how he's being used elsewhere isnt as important as whether Jose see's him as the right fit.
 
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