Ange must axe Spurs’ £100k-p/w “warrior” who’s earning more than Porro & Richarlion
Ange Postecoglou’s side is shaping up nicely but more deadwood needs to be discarded.
Daniel Levy realized last summer that he needed to select the ideal manager for Tottenham Hotspur after losing out to Antonio Conte, who was fired in March of last year.
Eighth place in the Premier League meant that European competition was out of the question. Although prominent managers like Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann were mentioned, Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou—who had never managed in one of Europe’s “big five leagues”—was given the job of taking the team forward.
Nevertheless, the 58-year-old has meticulously developed his coaching abilities, and this was evident. through Spurs had an incredible start to the 2023–24 Premier League season, winning eight and drawing two of their first games until injuries and bans hampered the team’s progress in November and December.
While he’s shipped off some of the deadwood and brought in a number of interesting new arrivals, Tottenham still has work to do before it can maintain its position at the top of the Premier League and Europe.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will undoubtedly be among the first players pushed toward the exit door as more additions and bench players are probably going to be made this summer.
Why Spurs signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Following Mauricio Pochettino’s dismissal in November 2019, it was revealed that Jose Mourinho, the former manager of Chelsea and Manchester United, will take over at Tottenham. Mourinho is known for his natural winning attitude.
We all know it didn’t work out, but he was responsible for Hojbjerg’s £15 million summer 2020 transfer from Southampton, where the Denmark international was acquired for a pittance after the player was forced to leave the south coast.
Hojbjerg’s ball-playing crispness and natural defensive ability made for the perfect general to organise and issue control in Mourinho’s engine room.
Conversely, Hojbjerg is somewhat incongruous under Postecoglou’s enterprising and fluid set-up, but his core qualities are still clear, ranking among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 10% for progressive passes and the top 13% for clearances per 90, as per FBref.
Now, after amassing 172 appearances for the Lilywhites, the 28-year-old is marooned on the fringe and months away from entering the final year of his contract.
Given that he’s earning a pretty penny, he must be sold this summer.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s wage at Spurs
Levy is not frugal with his salary distribution but he certainly doesn’t go overboard, with Heung-min Son – the club’s top earner – taking home a salary of less than £200k-per-week.
| Tottenham Hotspur: Highest Earners | |
|---|---|
| Player | Salary |
| Heung-min Son | £190k-p/w |
| James Maddison | £170k-p/w |
| Timo Werner (on loan) | £165k-p/w |
| Cristian Romero | £165k-p/w |
| Dejan Kulusevski | £110k-p/w |
| Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg | £100k-p/w |
| Richarlison | £90k-p/w |
| Pedro Porro | £85k-p/w |
| Radu Dragusin | £85k-p/w |
| Ben Davies | £80k-p/w |
| Source: Capology | |
Despite making half as much, Hojbjerg is the team’s fifth-highest earner (not counting Timo Werner, who signed a loan from RB Leipzig in January).
At six feet one, the 6-foot-1 star earns a comfortable £100k a week, which is actually more than both Richarlison (£90k) and Pedro Porro (£85k), two of Tottenham’s most important players since Postecoglou took over the dugout.
For instance, Richarlison, who cost a substantial £60 million when he signed from divisional rivals Everton in 2022, had a difficult season prior to going on a fiery run of scoring nine goals in his last 10 Premier League games.
On the other hand, Porro has undoubtedly been the greatest full-back in the Premier League thus far this year, captivating everyone with his all-around skill down the right side.
Based on data from Sofascore, the twenty-four-year-old, who signed a £39 million summer transfer from Sporting Lisbon, has contributed seven assists from 23 league games. He averages 1.7 key passes, 2.9 tackles, 5.7 ball recoveries, and 2.5 clearances per game, winning 54% of his duels and 59% of his dribbles.
Hojbjerg is obviously out of luck at Tottenham and has been continuously linked to leaving the squad during the season. In January, the struggling French team Lyon reportedly made a formal approach, which Hojbjerg apparently turned down..
Why Spurs want to sell Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
The primary reason that Postecoglou is eager to sell Hojbjerg lies in the fact that his best strengths are not reflected to their max within the new system.
Described as a “warrior” in the past by former Tottenham man Alan Hutton, Hojbjerg will find success elsewhere but if he remains with the squad for the 2024/25 campaign then he will only hamper his chances of finding prominence at the highest level once again.
Postecoglou has only fielded Hojbjerg from the outset six times in the Premier League this season, having completed 89% of his passes, however according to Sofascore, he only averaged 0.2 crucial passes, one tackle, 3.6 ball recoveries, and 2.1 successful duels per game.
The youthful Pape Matar Sarr, for instance, has completed 89% of his passes as well, but he has averaged 4.9 ball recoveries and 0.8 crucial passes per game. In comparison, it is evident that the Dane lacks some movement and agility in his game.
Since Postecoglou’s arrival, the team has already bid farewell to players like Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez, and Tanguy Ndombele, and Hojbjerg will undoubtedly be taking a leave of absence over the off-season.
It’s clear that Postecoglou’s system requires a certain frame of player, and while Hojbjerg has enjoyed ample success in the Premier League and indeed at Tottenham, he must search for a new chapter by the close of the campaign.
He must do so for his own sake, finding an outfit that will welcome his industrious attributes, but also to free Spurs of one of their biggest burdens on the wage bill, facilitating further investment to continue the flowering revival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
