Ange Postecoglou certainly hasn’t been afraid of making big decisions and shaking up the dressing room at Tottenham Hotspur.
The former Celtic boss cares little for how much sway you may have amongst the squad, or how frequently you might have featured under Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho. Postecoglou wasted little time in bombing Eric Dier out of the Tottenham XI, eventually cutting the England international loose when Bayern Munich came calling in January.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, as things stand, is still a Spurs player. But surely not for much longer, the former Southampton captain going from almost ever-present to experienced back-up this season and seemingly destined to follow Dier out the door.
Hojbjerg has only started six Premier League games in 2023/24, kept out of the first-team by the press-resistant qualities of Yves Bissouma and the poise of Pape Matar Sarr.
And, with his contract expiring in just over 12 months’ time, it would be a surprise if Tottenham opted against cashing in on Hojbjerg should the opportunity arise.
Hojbjerg frustrated at Tottenham Hotspur
“Of course, I am not satisfied with what is going on at the club,” Hojbjerg told Tipsbladet a fortnight ago. “It’s not a secret. But it’s not something I make a fuss about either.”
“I can put my head on the pillow knowing that I’m giving it my all to show the coach he has to believe in me. This is not the case at the moment. And it is the coach who must explain why (I am not playing).”
Postecoglou, speaking to BBC Sport ahead of Saturday’s early kick off against Newcastle United, can understand why Hojbjerg may be feeling a little frustrated. But he does feel that the 28-year-old still has a part to play, the one-time Bayern Munich man frequently coming off the bench late on to see out wins like last week’s 3-1 triumph over Nottingham Forest.
“He was good,” Postecoglou says of Hojbjerg, despite the Dane nearly gifting Forest a goal with a misplaced pass. “He has not started as many as he probably would have liked, but he has done a good job for us. We are in a good place where I can make these changes within games.”
Postecoglou expected to make further changes at Spurs
HITC understands that Spurs have a number of potential replacements on their radar. There is interest in Fenerbahce’s Ismail Yuksek, Feyenoord’s Quinten Timber and also Joao Gomes, the ever-improving Wolves ace who scored a brace in North London in February.
Interestingly, Postecoglou also indicated that Gio Lo Celso may be allowed to leave if the price is right this summer. Lo Celso, like Hojbjerg, has found starts to come by. And, like Hojbjerg, the Argentine will be a free-agent in 2025.
“Look, he’s a fantastic player,” Postecoglou said last week. “But with all these things you’ve got to keep the perspective that we’re at a big club. We’re going to have a big squad. And, if it is not Gio, it will be someone else that will play that role next year.
“No one will play every game. It doesn’t happen. It doesn’t happen at all the big clubs, so I am never really worried about the game-time players are playing.
“If they want more game-time, there are other clubs where they can do that and I’m looking at contribution. With someone like Gio, like I said he has contributed to us this year.
“And that’s been the most important thing for me.”
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