Maybe it’s like a gentleman’s agreement where we’d have first refusal but doesn’t sound like an actual option with a fee was agreed between us and Spurs. One problem we may have with this is that, although not for long, we’ve looked better without Hojbjerg. He not playing plus his average performances since the restart could effect his price tag or the clubs who are interested? Then on the flip side, KWP is playing well and likely increasing his value and the number of clubs who would be interested. One thing that may help us is if Spurs don’t get Europe as Hojbjerg may prefer a different club, like Ajax, and Levy may then Lower the KWP fee to get a deal done.
Since the restart hasn’t Pierre played two games; Norwich and Arsenal? Wasn’t he good against Norwich and not good against Arsenal?
Spurs fans I know seem very lukewarm about him. But then, maybe a change of scene to us was exactly what he needed.
Agree he’s not had a good year, I’m just having a giggle at how Saints fans view things. The comment was made about his performances since the restart. He’s only had two. One very good and one not good. Same with KWP, he was good against City and looked good in a couple of games but there will be uproar when Spurs ask for £20m and we don’t pay it. We can’t judge how good or right he’ll be for us on that short burst.
Yeah fair enough, don't disagree. I've only seen the City match so can't comment on others since restart.
Got to go to Ajax then but can they afford him in regard to wages or our fee? Everton waste money like water so we know they can afford him but win nothing or Spurs who don’t want to afford him, don’t win anything, players fighting each other and a manager who thrives on conflict Though choice, win stuff Ajax or money Everton
PEH such an odd player. If you read what people think of him you’d think he was a useless lump. In reality he’s won the ball more than any other midfielder in the league this year and plays an efficient, intelligent game. He’s clearly highly rated by the club if they value him in the 35-40m range and he’s admired by Pep and Mourinho who are dickheads but also two of the most successful coaches around. Spurs aren’t chasing him for fun, they desperately need a quality ball winner in midfield too give them balance and they think he’s the guy. It’s amazing to see people observe his performances so differently.
He is odd. Sometimes looks great and sometimes looks like poo. This year his passing has been awful, but in the right blend, that shouldn’t matter. Vic was like that. The debates we had in here about him, when to me he was clearly a massive player for us. He couldn’t pass wind, but his other attributes were important to us. I always fall back on two words when looking at teams with players like this: Nobby Stiles
I haven't seen many Saints fans talk about hojbjerg as if he is crap - I think some of us just find it strange he is attracting interest from Spurs/Everton yet isn't even our best CM. The fact £35m has been quoted from Saints doesn't mean anything other than that we want to get as much as possible from any sale - which is true of all transfers. Personally I haven't seen him consistently perform to a level where he is worth £35m with 1 year left on his deal. He is a good player, but not outstanding like Schneiderlin was. He certainly has never shown he has the ability to compete for either the premier league or champions league - which is his stated reason for wanting to leave. Can't help but think the fact he used to sit on the bench at Bayern has some part to play.
I agree with this. When he first played l was impressed by his physicality: winning possession and driving forward from midfied. His directness was refreshing. His sometimes wayward passing was easy to forgive because desire and commitment was there for all to see. It was actually disappointing to see when he was not selected, l wanted to see him play and lift the team by his example. But the player he has been this season; he seems more a liabilty on the pitch, wayward passing and decision making generally has been poor. The directness of his play has gone and his first instinct seems to look to pass the ball off either sideways or backwards. Sad he seems to have lost the attributes he had and not improved on his weaknesses. Maybe he will find his mojo somewhere else. Here is hoping, more, we get a tidy sum for him.
Is it that people expect more from him? Being the best ball winner in the league is no mean feat. His passing percentages (I know, it’s a deeply flawed measure) put him just above Romeu and just below JWP. Which is what I’d expect. He’s really strange. He can’t resist a wild shot from distance either! I still think he’s tricky to replace for us. There’s not a natural fit in the academy that I can see and we’re not seeing any links to that type of midfielder.
Stats are misleading, there's absolutely no way he's the best ball winner in this division in my view. Do the stats show how many of those came directly from him losing the ball? That's tongue in cheek btw but just an example of why you can't read too much into stats. I don't think he's dreadful (though he has been poor for the majority of this season), but I don't think he's particularly brilliant either. Seems decent enough at everything but doesn't hugely excel at anything either. Certainly not the man to transform Spurs midfield anyway imo.
What we need to consider is modern football. Clubs now analyse stats and if Spurs or Everton have identified that their ball winning stats are lower than they want in midfield, then they go to the stats readily available for ball winners. Pierre’s name appears high up or top the list and they think ok, let’s consider him. They’ve got more chance of signing our best ball winner than that of United, City, Liverpool or Chelsea. It’s always about the overall jigsaw puzzle
