He may not yet be 12 months into his Tottenham Hotspur tenure, but Ange Postecoglou has already made sweeping changes at N17, wiping out the old guard in favour of building an exciting, youthful side in the capital.
During his relatively brief time at the helm, the Greek-Aussie has already moved on the likes of Hugo Lloris, Ivan Perisic, Harry Winks, Davison Sanchez and Eric Dier, with a handful of other peripheral figures also shown the door courtesy of a loan exit, such as Tanguy Ndombele and Sergio Reguilon.
The former Celtic boss is certainly not hanging around when it comes to putting his stamp on things, with there no doubt set to be further casualties along the way in his pursuit of making Spurs a credible force at the top of the table once again.
Looking ahead to this summer, Postecoglou – and chairman Daniel Levy – will seemingly need to weigh up whether to cash in on some of their first-team assets in order to fund further moves in the market, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg perhaps among those who could be on his way…
How much Spurs paid for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
The Denmark international is now approaching almost four years at the club having signed from Southampton for just £15m back in the summer of 2020, a deal that then-boss Jose Mourinho was delighted about, having subsequently lauded Hojbjerg as "a phenomenal player".
That investment has certainly looked like good business since then – despite his reduced role this season – with the 28-year-old starting 109 out of a possible 114 Premier League games during his first three campaigns at the club.
A crucial figure in the side up until the end of last season, everything seemingly changed amid the arrival of Postecoglou, with reports over the summer having suggested that the club were open to offers for the experienced midfielder.
The same was seemingly reported again in January, although the £100k-per-week asset has stayed put as part of Tottenham's push for the Champions League, having now made 30 appearances in all competitions – albeit with only eight coming from the start.
Spurs have already sold a homegrown Hojbjerg upgrade who's pure "bliss"
This former £10m sale would perform very nicely within Ange’s set-up.
ByAngus Sinclair Mar 1, 2024
Could this summer – as had been suggested by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano – be the time when the one-time Bayern Munich man finally departs?
Hojbjerg's current market value
While there may be wisdom in keeping Hojbjerg onboard, the fact that he has just over a year left on his existing deal should be a cause for concern, particularly amid reports that he will not be offered a new contract by Levy and co.
Running the risk of losing a player who is currently worth €30m (£26m) – as per CIES Football Observatory – for nothing in 2025, Spurs may be forced to cash in sooner rather than later, in order to maximise any potential profit.
Although Hojbjerg is not a regular fixture in the side after losing his place to Yves Bissouma, other clubs may see the wisdom in plumping for a player who seemingly shares a statistical and stylistic likeness with Arsenal's Declan Rice, as per FBref.
1 – Angelo Stiller
2 – Declan Rice
3 – Nemanja Matic
4 – Emre Can
5 – Valentin Rongier
6 – Nabil Bentaleb
7 – Eduardo Camavinga
8 – William Carvalho
9 – Moises Caicedo
10 – Pablo Barrios
The two defensive-minded midfielders are notably alike with regard to the ball-playing presence that they can provide in front of the back four, with Hojbjerg ranking in the top 5% among his peers in Europe's top five leagues for passes attempted, as well as in the 9% for progressive passes per 90. Rice, meanwhile, has performed similarly as he ranks in the top 13% and the top 6% for those same two metrics, respectively.
Equally, the pair also share a likeness with regard to their defensive prowess, with Hojbjerg averaging 1.24 interceptions per 90 across the last 365 days, while his Gunners counterpart is only just ahead with an average of 1.60.
With Rice starring following his £105m move to the Emirates last summer – having been the 'signing of the season' according to pundit Danny Murphy – perhaps Spurs should be hesitant at parting with a player who potentially has the tools to be their own version of the Englishman.
On the flip side, with the expiration of Hojbjerg's contract on the horizon, Spurs simply can't afford to let such a talent move on for free, ensuring that cashing in for as much as possible this summer could prove the best approach.