Player Watch: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

[synththfc]

Maybe he's finally going to back a manager...?

Must. Not. Get. Hopes. Up.

 

[Hitch]

Don't know what the Saints fans are moaning about tbh. For both KWP and PEH these valuations sound perfectly reasonable.

 

[H-SF]

To be honest I'd expect it to be something like 15 rising to 18/19 in add ons because there is no way Southampton go from demanding 25 to accepting 15 so quickly.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Great deal. But KWP is a strong, young English right back and he’s worth more. I think we’ve undervalued him to facilitate the overall deal.

I personally wanted to keep KWP but if he’s deemed as being behind Tanganga and Aurier/ Aurier’s replacement for right back then getting £12m for a guy who has barely played and we produced ourselves is great, and also fair on him when you consider that his current deal with us takes him to 25, by which point if he’s still not broken through he’ll really have fucked his career at a decent level.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

That’s a cracking deal. Just an RB, LB, CB, back up striker and AM to go. Fucking breeze

 

[Yiddo100]

That’s a cracking deal. Just an RB, LB, CB, back up striker and AM to go. Fucking breeze

Don’t need a Lb imo

 

[Saoirse]

Great deal. But KWP is a strong, young English right back and he’s worth more. I think we’ve undervalued him to facilitate the overall deal.

Inclined to agree. I wouldn't be surprised if the "real" valuations are more like £20m and £17m, but we've knocked £5m off both prices because Saints may have agreed to a sell-on clause with Munich for Hojberg. We've got previous with that when we signed Vorm "for free" alongside the Siguardssen and Davies deals avoiding a sell-on due to Utrecht, and it would explain the apparent briefing to the press several times that these are "two separate deals" in order to avoid any legal action.

 

[yankspurs]

KWP has a bright future, IMO and Saints could probably sell him on in a few years for more than £12m. But to sort out our DM for KWP & £3m is a real solid bit of business.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

That’s a cracking deal. Just an RB, LB, CB, back up striker and AM to go. Fucking breeze

This was by far the most important. Even if we don’t upgrade on all those positions, the current incumbents will all look better for having a midfield with balance.

 

[wrd]

That’s a cracking deal. Just an RB, LB, CB, back up striker and AM to go. Fucking breeze

Need x2 on RB if we sell Aurier and Foyth imo. Preferably one of which who could play both sides.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

To be honest I'd expect it to be something like 15 rising to 18/19 in add ons because there is no way Southampton go from demanding 25 to accepting 15 so quickly.

 

[wrd]

Don't know what the Saints fans are moaning about tbh. For both KWP and PEH these valuations sound perfectly reasonable.

Meh nobody is happy losing a player of that quality for cut price due to their contract coming to an end. I'm still not happy we lost a player of the quality for Eriksen for 18 mill. Understandable in the circumstances but not thrilled haha.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Need x2 on RB if we sell Aurier and Foyth imo. Preferably one of which who could play both sides.

If we get a 4th centre back like Kim, I’m pretty certain that Tanganga will be one of our two RB options, albeit the lesser used one. I really don’t think he’ll have signed an extension to his contract without assurances over playing time, and he’s already behind three experienced options at CB but has shown a lot of promise at RB. I reckon it’ll be him plus Aurier’s replacement at right back.

 

[Cornpattbuck]

Be sad to see KWP go but this looks like a decent deal for all parties.

 

[Philly Yid]

Agreed.

They're just upset because they heard Everton offered 25m and they only get a net of 3m on this deal. They aren't seeing KWP as an addition since he was already there. Rationally this deal makes sense but how many football supporters (especially that frequent message boards, and including us) are ever that rational?

 

[BuckeyeSpurs11]

Well, deal is close for a CB (Kim) according to Herc. Not convinced LB is a priority considering Jose has been vocal about how much he rates Davies and Cirkin. Milan seem keen on Aurier so with his and KWP’s exits likely you’d think the search for a right back would accelerate. And I think we can afford to wait on the back up striker and make sure the deal makes sense as they will be arriving as a squad player and not as key member that we’ll need to settle quickly. And a creative player would be nice but I think is a lower priority as well.

and Sessegnon is being brought along as a LB

 

[SUIYHA]

From SaintsWeb:

Thing is, if you don't actually watch our games and only have stats to go on or maybe the occasional MotD highlights, he is a very good player and a very good fit for Spurs.
One of the highest tackling and interception rates in the league... he frequently gives it away afterwards, but that doesn't show on the stats.
One of the highest pass completion rates from midfield... mostly because he only ever passes it to our CBs or goalkeeper, but that doesn't show on the stats.
He can play CM, DM, LB or RB... he's terrible at both fullback positions, but that doesn't show on the stats.
The things that we see, watching him every week, is that he too ofter slows down or breaks up attacks, his positioning is poor, he too often takes the easy, safe pass when there's a better, forward ball to be played... Spurs fans won't see that on Opta or Whoscored.
Plus, he's 24, rarely injured and comes across well in interviews.
On paper he's brilliant and well worth £25m. If they get him, they will quickly be disappointed and turn on him before Mourinho publicly chastises him and boots him to the reserve team.


I realise the revisionism always happens on here when a player is leaving but some of the comments on here show why a lot of people don't have a clue.
Before all this played out he was a nailed on starter for us, easily ahead of Romeu who many on here rate highly.
Yes he isn't David Silva, but he has a particular set of skills and football is a team game where you need a balance of attributes.
Hasenhuttl rates him, Mourinho rates him, Ancelotti rates him. Ajax rate him. Pep rated him, even if he didn't kick on as initially expected.


I don't agree with that at all. I think most of us have been fairly fair over our assessments of him, he is honestly nothing special and I have always maintained that - not just because he's now leaving.
Bog standard is how I'd describe him, offers nothing more than Tottenham's midfielders currently do. As igsey put above so well, in isolation his stats look impressive.
But I know what I've seen for the last 4 years. I've seen the most dull, boring, safe midfield player. Someone who gives up possession just as much as he wins it, someone who waves his arms about and shows passion, but never really did the talking on the pitch.
I'll remember someone who shows no composure in the final moments of games. I'll remember someone who makes you nervous rather than excited by his presence. I'll remember him as someone who was a pivotal part to our horrific, unacceptable home form for the last 3/4 seasons.
Luckily other managers see a gap in their side for him and are willing to buy him, as this will enable us to buy someone far more dynamic to improve our style at home.


I've never really rated him that highly to be honest. He's what I'd call a bog standard mid-table PL midfielder, no more than that.
I just feel he lacks that real 'star' quality that other 'defectors' have had. I don't rate him as high as Morgan for example, not even as close to being as technical or mobile as him, and Morgan struggled at Utd and Everton.
I think Spurs already have better players than him, that's why I'm curious as to their hunt for him. Lo Celso, Winks, Nndomble, Sissoko, Gedson Fernandes - all seem to offer what PEH does, but slightly better technically.
I don't think we're missing anything, I just don't think he's half as good as the media make him out to be.


I'm not going to read the whole thread, but what I've seen, most seem to think like me. That he has been good for us, rather than spectacular, and cannot understand why a Big 6 club (and others) are so enthused over him. He's a frustrating player at times, and definitely ahead of Romeu. He doesn't on the face of it, seem to be a player whose moving away will be hugely detrimental to us, but only time will tell. I actually think he's a very clever player just a shame he isn't more agile and his shooting ability is somewhat in the Shane Long mould.


Since Hoj was dropped from the team, post lockdown we have arguably played some of the most expansive and exciting football since Koeman. Compare that to the last 3-4 seasons when he was a permanent fixture, and the football has often been uninspiring, you can see why many supporters are not that bothered if he goes.Myself included.

Not exactly encouraging stuff. Spoke to a close mate that supports Southampton about him before and he described him as "better than David Prutton but not as good as Wanyama", and said that they are getting a better deal if it's a straight swap for KWP.

I remember being so desperate for a DM in 2003 and 2008 that when we eventually signed Michael Brown and Wilson Palacios respectively I was over the moon, and the very fact that in both cases we'd been crying out for someone with a bit of bite in midfield for years meant that both players massively improved our form in the short term when they both joined, even though they were both quite limited technically. Maybe Hojbjerg will have a similar effect but quite frankly I cannot stand watching poor technical players that can't control or pass the ball in midfield playing for Tottenham. Seems like a million years ago that we had Modric, Van Der Vaart, Kranjcar, Huddlestone and Parker as our options.

 

[tiger666]

Not exactly encouraging stuff. Spoke to a close mate that supports Southampton about him before and he described him as "better than David Prutton but not as good as Wanyama", and said that they are getting a better deal if it's a straight swap for KWP.

Have you seen some of the absolute shit that gets posted on here about our players?

 

[Yiddo100]

Have you seen some of the absolute shit that gets posted on here about our players?

Kane and son aren’t up to it anymore?

 

[Deleted member 27995]

Well, that seems like good news. Not sure if I want to start frowning at him just yet, give him 30 minutes of football.