Dominic Solanke did not exactly enjoy a flying start to his Tottenham Hotspur career on Monday night.
While the presence and physicality he brings to Ange Postecoglou’s team was clear to see from the off away at Leicester City – holding up the ball well, linking the play and giving Spurs’ wide players a target to aim for in the penalty area – the £65 million record signing missed a few presentable chances to mark his debut with a goal.
The best opportunity of the lot came in the second half. Dominic Solanke made the room impressively but then fizzed his shot straight at Mads Hermansen.
A promising start, certainly, but ultimately a rather frustrating one too.
There was no such disappointment for one of the players who left Tottenham via the back door this summer, however, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg donning a Marseille shirt in Ligue 1 action for the very first time.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg shines after Tottenham Hotspur exit
Spurs could bank £17 million should Hojbjerg impress in France, due to the purchase clause in his L’OM contract.
And if this is a sign of things to come, Marseille will be jumping at the chance to tie the Denmark international down sooner rather than later.
While Mason Greenwood and Elye Wahi found the net in the 5-1 dismantling of Brest, Hojbjerg provided the steely foundation for his new attacking team-mates to flourish. He completed 90 per cent of his passes.
What’s more, only three players managed more than his five successful tackles on the opening weekend across the Channel.
“I’m a little surprised to see him in Marseille. Given his physical condition, he could have played another 18 years in the Premier League!” Hojbjerg’s former Southampton team-mate Jeremy Pied tells Le Provence.
“He will bring his clever game. (His ability to control) the pace of game like Nemanja Matic at Lyon and make the right passes at the right time, just like Toni Kroos. He has extraordinary skills.
“When he signed with Marseille, I said to myself ‘wow’.”
Now, Tottenham fans could be forgiven for reading Pied’s gushing praise with an eyebrow raised, Carlo Ancelotti-like. It’s fair to say Hojbjerg was not often likened to Toni Kroos by a fanbase divided by his presence.
Terms like ‘wow’ and ‘extraordinary’ are not the first words that come to mind either, when discussing a player who is frequently solid but very rarely spectacular.
Still, if Hojbjerg hopes to do what he could not do in North London and win over each and every Marseille supporter, this is a bright start indeed.
Marseille have option to strike £17m deal
The former Bayern Munich man – who grew frustrated with his lack of starts under Postecoglou – apologised tongue-in-cheek to the Marseille supporters at his official unveiling last week. It was he, after all, who knocked them out of Europe with a dramatic late winner at the Stade Velodrome back in 2022.
This superb debut display certainly goes some way to making amends.
“If you want me to apologise, I will, no problem!” Hojbjerg laughed, via RMC Sport. “It was several years ago. I remember a magnificent stadium. I did what I could for the colours I defended.”
“When I spoke to the people here, I understood how everyone worked and was committed to making the club successful. Everyone works very hard and is passionate. It was difficult to say no.
“The club showed a lot of interest in me and that made me feel good.”
“The idea is to work hard every day, with the right attitude. Make sure the training sessions are great to win every game. We’ll talk about where we are at the end of the season. The important thing is to prepare well for each weekend.
“Where we are in nine months, we’ll see.”
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