Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s contract situation at Southampton has Ralph Hasenhuttl worried with the reported Tottenham Hotspur and Everton target set to become a free agent in 12 months’ time.
A much-admired Austrian coach put pen to paper on a new four-year deal with the Saints earlier this week – and he must now be praying that his influential captain does exactly the same.
Hojbjerg is one of the first names on Hasenhuttl’s team sheet, establishing himself as one of the most effective midfielders in the Premier League.
So, as you might imagine, the fact that a one-time Bayern Munich wonderkid is out of contract this time next year has not gone unnoticed.
According to The Telegraph, Tottenham and Everton are watching the situation closely. Hojbjerg, who cost Southampton a cool £13 million, could add some much-needed energy, graft and guile to Jose Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield.
So no wonder Hasenhuttl wants to get around a table and thrash out a new deal before it is too late.
“It’s not good for him and I don’t think the situation would be good for him,” the former RB Leipzig coach tells BBC Radio Solent (1pm). “As a captain, you cannot lead a team without extending your contract. This is always difficult.
“I think we should avoid letting players go without a transfer fee. It’s not good to go into the last year of your contract – especially as a young player with a big future.
“This is not the ideal situation, but we have opportunities to handle it and we will have talks with other players and find a decision.”
It is no secret that Tottenham are lacking the kind of deep-lying, ball-winning midfielder that characterised his uber-successful Chelsea and Inter Milan sides of the noughties.
Hojbjerg is more comfortable in a box-to-box ‘number eight’ role. But, with his leadership skills, reading of the game and tactical awareness, perhaps he could be moulded into something closer to a ‘number six’.
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