There has been a twist concerning the future of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg after reports that he is not in Ange Postecoglou's plans.
Who has left Tottenham this season?
Spurs have seriously reshaped their squad over the summer and through to now, with a plethora of players making way to free up space in Postecoglou's team.
Perhaps the most high profile of them is star striker Harry Kane, who left for Bayern Munich last month in a multi-million pound deal; coming as one of the headline transfers of the summer window.
Tottenham also waved goodbye to Sergio Reguilon, Joe Rodon, Djed Spence, Harry Winks, Alfie Devine, Troy Parrott and Dane Scarlett – who all sealed moves away last month and beforehand.
Most recently, thanks to the Turkish transfer window remaining open until September 15, Spurs have been able to offload both defender Davinson Sanchez, who has left on a permanent deal, and midfielder Tanguy Ndombele (loan) to Galatasaray.
The Premier League high-flyers have enjoyed an electric start to the season under Postecoglou, winning three of their opening four matches; so far proving the Spurs head coach's decisions totally right.
Another player who has been rumoured to not be a part of Postecoglou's plans at Tottenham is Hojbjerg, who was linked repeatedly with a Spurs exit right through to deadline day.
The likes of Atletico Madrid and Fulham were apparently chasing a late deal for the Denmark international, and with both the Saudi and Turkish windows open, there's been reason to believe he could still depart.
However, journalist Pete O'Rourke has now shared an update on Hojbjerg's future, with there being a twist to the tale.
It is believed Spurs are now ready to block any proposed out-of-window exit for the former Southampton star, despite some interest from Turkish sides.
Hojbjerg has featured fairly regularly in the last few games, even starting their Carabao Cup second round clash away to Fulham, and Spurs' inability to sign a replacement means he now looks set to stay.
Tottenham were apparently eager to bring in a transfer fee for the midfielder, but as the British window is closed, any proposed departure to the Far East will be blocked by the north Londoners – as per O'Rourke to Football Insider.
Spurs aren't willing to lose Hojbjerg now, and it will be interesting to see if he can indeed become a cog in Postecoglou's new-look, fluid system.
How good is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg?
The 28-year-old was a mainstay for Spurs last term and one of their best-performing players per 90, according to WhoScored, and he has been praised for his elite contribution in recent years.
Spurs podcaster Bardi even said this on Hojbjerg all the way back in 2020, although sharing some concerns at his lack of mobility:
“Our track record of defensive midfielders hasn’t been great," said Bardi to The Extra Inch Podcast (via TIF).
"So now all of a sudden we’ve got Hojbjerg there who’s very smart, very talented, [a] very skilful player, we’re looking at him going ‘he’s like the new Deschamps’ or something.
“I like him, it’s great. I’m just concerned with someone so combative and someone who does get around the pitch whether or not he’s going to go injury-free this season, because when he went down for the extended period, my stomach went kind of like when it does when [Harry] Kane goes down.”
