Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has told the Daily Echo that he has stripped Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg of the captaincy after he refused to extend his contract.
The Saints know that Hojbjerg is out of contract in 2021, meaning he is now entering the final year of his deal at St Mary’s Stadium.
Hojbjerg has been a solid and dependable midfielder for Southampton, and whilst he maybe hasn’t lived up to the potential he showed at Bayern Munich, he certainly adds a battling mentality in the middle of the park.
The 24-year-old has been Southampton captain since December 2018. Hasenhuttl gave him that honour upon his arrival as manager, but his time as Saints skipper is over.
Hasenhuttl has today confirmed that Hojbjerg has been stripped of the captaincy as he continues to refuse a new deal. He admitted that he has spoken to Hojbjerg about the situation, and the armband will now be given to James Ward-Prowse instead.
“He [Hojbjerg] will not be the captain,” said Hasenhuttl. “I spoke with him and we came to an agreement. I told him it wasn’t possible to captain this team when he hasn’t extended his contract. It’s a special situation but he was very professional.”
“It’s absolutely something he can handle, and he showed immediately that he understands it. Prowsey will be the captain and he was my captain in the friendly game,” he added.
This is another step towards Hojbjerg leaving the club. Tottenham and Everton allegedly want to sign Hojbjerg this summer, though Southampton want a huge £35million deal according to the Daily Mail.
It remains to be seen whether Southampton even start Hojbjerg when they return to action, as they seemingly feel his mind may be elsewhere now.
With just one year left on his deal and clubs struggling financially due to the pandemic, it seems unlikely that they will land the £35million – and today’s news may give Tottenham hope that they can bring Hojbjerg to North London after all.
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