Matthew Chadder

Mon 3 July 2023 10:23, UK

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has been linked with a move away from Tottenham this summer however his passing brilliance suggests he should be kept around.

Matt Law has reported via The Daily Telegraph (30 June) that Spurs are willing to listen to offers for their 27-year-old midfielder who has two years left on his contract.

Hojbjerg has often divided opinion among the fanbase with some supporters big admirers of the former Southampton man, while others are less keen on the Dane. It remains to be seen exactly what the new boss thinks of him.

Question marks remain over how effective Hojbjerg will be in Ange Postecoglou’s system. The Australian prefers midfielders who can push forward and provide quality in attacking areas, something which the midfielder is not known for, however, his passing brilliance suggests he still has use within the squad.

Even if he is not starting week-in week-out, which could of course cause the player himself to want to leave, from Tottenham’s perspective, he would still be worth keeping around.

Postecoglou does not have an amazing amount of depth currently within his midfield ranks and the stats suggest Hojbjerg is a player who at the least could provide excellent cover for others such as Rodrigo Bentancur or Yves Bissouma, who would most likely play the most similar roles to Hojbjerg.

As per FBREF, the Bayern Munich youth product posted some of the most impressive passing numbers in European football over the past calendar year. His pass completion rate of 88.2 per cent placed him in the top eight per cent of his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues.

As well as this, he recorded a total passing distance of 1031.99 yards which once again placed him in the top ten per cent of Europe’s midfielders, this time in the 91st percentile. His pass completion rate over a short, medium and long distance was all consistent also.

Over a short distance, he had a pass completion rate of 92.4 per cent, ranking him in the top 12 per cent, and over a medium distance he was in the top 13 per cent, with a pass completion rate of 91.2 per cent. As for a long distance, he had an impressive completion rate of 76.4 per cent, which once again placed him in the top 12 per cent.

He was also clearly comfortable in possession too, making 75.28 touches per 90 to land him in the top 13 per cent while his ability to take on a man was particularly underrated. With a successful take-on percentage of 66.1 per cent, he found himself in the top 11 per cent compared to midfielders across the continent.

He also recorded a particularly impressive statistic which left him in the top one percentile of midfielders, winning 80 per cent of his aerial battles. Once again, something many fans wouldn’t think of him for.

The numbers clearly demonstrate that Hojbjerg is perhaps underrated by many fans and although he might not suit Postecoglou’s system down to a tee, he would be a brilliant player for the squad to help Spurs kick on next season.

In other Tottenham news, another of Spurs’ midfielders enjoyed some recent success at the European Under-21 Championship.