Our view: Daniel Levy has pulled off a £15m masterstroke at Tottenham

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Jose Mourinho snarled as he looked up at Pierre Emile Hojbjerg after Tottenham Hotspur’s win over Manchester City.

The Spurs manager had just watched his midfield enforcer help to shut out Pep Guardiola’s magnificent Manchester City attack, as he stopped numerous attacks at source.

The image rather summed up the relationship that Mourinho has already formed with Hojbjerg, who has clearly become one of his most trusted players in just a matter of months.

Guardiola actually came out and spoke of Hojbjerg’s influence on the game after Tottenham beat City 2-0, but his role is one which isn’t always attracts the most attention.

The Dane is there to snuff out attacks, to silence opposition creators and to distribute the ball to the more talented passers in Tottenham’s team.

Hojbjerg is unlikely to grab many headlines this season, but he may just be the biggest bargain any Premier League side managed to complete this summer.

Spurs picked Hojbjerg up for just £15 million from Southampton (Guardian), with the sale of Kyle Walker-Peters to the Saints practically offsetting that fee.

The deal is rapidly looking like a magnificent piece of business for Spurs, as Hojbjerg has been so far one of the very best defensive midfielders in the league.

Mourinho’s bull-dog has been unleashed in recent weeks, as Spurs have emerged from the pack to become title contenders.

Hojbjerg has been the immovable object in Tottenham’s midfield, and he is rapidly becoming one of the very first names on the teamsheet.

Tottenham have always given a platform for technically supreme midfielders to thrive, with the likes of Michael Carrick, Luka Modric and Mousa Dembele all passing through the club in recent times.

But Spurs were always accused of having a soft underbelly when tested by the very best.

That same criticism simply cannot be thrown at Tottenham any more, with Hojbjerg around to marshall their midfield.

And although the transfer of Gareth Bale may have taken much of the attention around Spurs this summer, it is unquestionably the arrival of Hojbjerg which has had the biggest impact on their side so far.