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Player Watch: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

Timberwolf

Well-Known Member
Jan 17, 2008
10,328
50,217
Zakaria and Luis are absolutely the players we should be going for if we want to stay at the top table. I'd rather we spent big money there than shop for bargains in several areas. Hojbjerg is a decent player but not a 'next level' player, and CDM is an area where we need a huge upgrade to stay in the running for regular CL qualification. I doubt very much though that we'd tempt Zakaria or Luis at present. All I hope is that we don't clog up the squad with average players for the next 4 years.
I guess the question is, if we can't afford or find someone we consider to be 'next level' should be still bring in Hojbjerg?

Personally I think the answer has to be yes. We just can't go on with Winks and Sissoko as our CDM options and, since Jose is unwilling to play Skipp, a neat little KWP + cash deal for seems the most plausible and affordable way of plugging that hole (even if it's only a temporary solution).

However, if we decide to flog Ndombele or can somehow raise enough cash to sign someone better, I'm fully with you.
 

tobi

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose
Jun 10, 2003
17,446
11,567
When you look at the most successful Prem DM purchases in recent years, they all seem to have similar physical attributes. Kante, Ndidi and Gueye were all bought for little money from France. They all have the most incredible engines and have these kind of wirey physiques, like middle distance runners. During our best years 2015-18, I always though our weak spot was DM, as first Dier and then Wanyama, both lacked that incredible mobility, the best DM's have. I just see PEH being in that same bracket.

I'd much rather we went after someone like Florentino Luis, even if it means we have to sacrifice one of our more talented players to raise the transfer fee. As much as I like watching NDombele, for example, if getting our money back on him, meant we were able to prize Luis from Benfica, I'd do it. I think PEH is decent, but if we have serious ambitions of going to the next level and to actually start winning things, we need players on par with the best teams. If you can pass the ball around like Carrick could, you don't have to be the quickest, but a ball winning DM, with limited technical ability, needs to cover a hell of a lot of ground in my opinion. I want an Kante/Ndidi type and think Luis is the best out there at the moment.

Selling Ndombele and replacing him with a DM only still leaves a big hole in midfield because we'd be back to the problem of only having one player (Lo Celso = Eriksen) in midfield capable of passing the ball.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,391
I guess the question is, if we can't afford or find someone we consider to be 'next level' should be still bring in Hojbjerg?

Personally I think the answer has to be yes. We just can't go on with Winks and Sissoko as our CDM options and, since Jose is unwilling to play Skipp, a neat little KWP + cash deal for seems the most plausible and affordable way of plugging that hole (even if it's only a temporary solution).

However, if we decide to flog Ndombele or can somehow raise enough cash to sign someone better, I'm fully with you.

I'd like to see that we're at least interested in someone better than Hojbjerg. I'm not saying PEH couldn't do a job for us, but the latest FFP fiasco with Man City just means we'll get left further and further behind (with Chelsea and probably Man Utd joining the party) if we don't try to recruit some real quality, and CDM is the one glaring problem we should be looking at above all else IMO.
 

Timberwolf

Well-Known Member
Jan 17, 2008
10,328
50,217
Selling Ndombele and replacing him with a DM only still leaves a big hole in midfield because we'd be back to the problem of only having one player (Lo Celso = Eriksen) in midfield capable of passing the ball.
Completely agree but equally, if Jose just won't play him we have 55 million quid just sat our on bench.

Our best hope for Ndombele making it at the club seems to be him outlasting Mourinho at this rate.
 

THFCSPURS19

The Speaker of the Transfer Rumours Forum
Jan 6, 2013
37,886
130,485

THFC_SWE

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
1,233
3,914
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.

The majority of the players you list plays in top teams apart from Rice and Millivojevic. Of course they will have better stats. And it doesn't matter if Winks have 90 % when the majority of his passes are safe passes backwards or sideways. Only one player in Southampton have a passing accuracy over 80 %. Southampton as a team has 72.5 % in accuracy. We have 81.4 %. They have less posession and averages almost 14 more long balls every game than us. If he played with us his stats would be better.
 

daryl hannah

Berry Berry Calm
Sep 1, 2014
2,674
7,717
He literally says 'part opinion', which is why I haven't started a thread yet. I'm sure we'll be linked with him at some point soon.
Well if and when you do look to start a thread you could just migrate his thread from the Jan 2020 rumours at the appropriate time. (y)

 

BringBack_leGin

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2004
27,719
54,929
I’m not even sure I’d want his passing stats to dramatically improve, as a huge chunk of what brings his stats down is that, unlike Winks and Sissoko, he plays the ball into space for players to run onto from deep, the best result of which is a goal scoring chance, the worst result of which is losing position very high up the pitch to opposition defenders. That’s a trait we severely lack and would benefit from, particularly if we are looking to build an effective counter attack.

Then when you consider that off the ball he’s aggressive, strong and reads the game well, combined with the fact that his power makes him quite ores resistant, and suddenly a lot of our currently struggling players have a very solid pla to play off.

I’m not saying he’s prime Pirlo, but almost everything he brings is something we lack, and almost everything he lacks is something our other midfield options have.

I’m perfectly sure he’s no less capable than Winks of completing a 6 yard pass. But that’s clearly not what his skill set is.
 

Mr Pink

SC Supporter
Aug 25, 2010
54,776
99,338
He's going to perform a role better than anyone in our squad can.

You just know he'll be one of those signings that are understated but make a big difference to how we perform as a collective.

An essential cog, not a shiny one etc
 

wrd

Well-Known Member
Aug 22, 2014
13,603
58,005
If Jose wants him then I'm happy, I don't think his passing stats are being used in the correct context; signing him allows us to make better use of the passing ability we have in the squad by freeing Lo Celso, Ndombele and to an extent even Winks by having them have less defensive responsibility. I'm sure his passing stats will go up when he is tasked with getting the ball to the real ball players as quick as possible.
 

JonnySpurs

SC Veteran
Jun 4, 2004
5,345
12,398
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.
 

wrd

Well-Known Member
Aug 22, 2014
13,603
58,005
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.

Only way we get signings like that is if we sell Ndombele imo.
 

Snarfalicious

Well-Known Member
Jul 15, 2012
15,710
71,935
Ideal midfield summer for me (with costs considered) would be to bring on PEH and Weston McKennie and sell Sissoko. I don’t view McKennie as strictly a DM but an all-action Box to Box type who would be fantastic in a Mourinho system.
 

wrd

Well-Known Member
Aug 22, 2014
13,603
58,005
Ideal midfield summer for me (with costs considered) would be to bring on PEH and Weston McKennie and sell Sissoko. I don’t view McKennie as strictly a DM but an all-action Box to Box type who would be fantastic in a Mourinho system.

Saw us linked with him this morning, who in the FUCK is Weston McKennie.
 

emiley heskey

Well-Known Member
Jul 3, 2020
1,121
1,832
Ideal midfield summer for me (with costs considered) would be to bring on PEH and Weston McKennie and sell Sissoko. I don’t view McKennie as strictly a DM but an all-action Box to Box type who would be fantastic in a Mourinho system.

Weston Mckennie would be fantastic addition.... That guy is a pure engine and finest header of the ball I have ever seen !! I highly doubt our scouts know about him
 

BuckeyeSpurs11

Well-Known Member
Aug 5, 2013
1,116
3,459
Saw us linked with him this morning, who in the FUCK is Weston McKennie.

American that plays for Schalke. Used to play right back but now plays no.8 for them. Decent player, don’t think he’s up to our standard- coming from a Yankee
 

wrd

Well-Known Member
Aug 22, 2014
13,603
58,005
American that plays for Schalke. Used to play right back but now plays no.8 for them. Decent player, don’t think he’s up to our standard- coming from a Yankee

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.
 
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