Tottenham need for January signing heightens while Postecoglou puts brakes on star’s exit
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou
Tottenham Hotspur are aiming to raise some funds for a midfield signing in the January transfer window and for very good reason, a report has revealed.
In their most recent Premier League match, Ange Postecoglou picked Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr as his starting midfielders in the Tottenham lineup against Liverpool. However, those players could both be at the Africa Cup of Nations over the winter with Mali and Senegal respectively.
With that in mind, Tottenham would be ill-advised to sell Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, despite the Denmark international wanting to leave and becoming a major target for Juventus.
According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Hojbjerg is still on Juventus’ radar as someone who could replace Paul Pogba. However, as the report reflects, any hopes the Serie A side have of signing him on loan will be shattered by Tottenham’s need to sign cover for Bissouma and Sarr.
That said, if Juventus can offer €30m (£26m) for Hojbjerg, Tottenham might accept the bid in order to put those funds into a deal for a new midfielder of their own.
At this moment, it is unclear whom Tottenham might be chasing in midfield. But if they can cash in on Hojbjerg, it may allow them to regenerate the department, even if there would be some short-term risk until the new signing comes in.
Hojbjerg has played for Tottenham since 2020, when they signed him from Southampton. He has never played in Serie A before, so could embark on a fresh challenge with Juventus – the side from whom Spurs bought another of his midfield competitors, Rodrigo Bentancur, in 2022.
Hojbjerg hoping for more gametime
Postecoglou has sent Hojbjerg on as a substitute in six out of seven league matches so far this season, but has only selected him once as a starter in the Carabao Cup – a competition Tottenham are already out of.
At the age of 28, the former Bayern Munich midfielder might feel worthy of more regular gametime, which could convince him to look for an opportunity at another club. Besides, by the time the January transfer window comes around, there will only be 18 months remaining on Hojbjerg’s contract in north London anyway.
Therefore, Tottenham could still consider letting him leave in January, since there would be little logic behind keeping an unsettled player. But they will have to start drafting up a list of replacements as soon as possible, especially knowing how they will be temporarily deprived over the winter as well.
Meanwhile, another player keen on leaving Tottenham in January could be Eric Dier.
