Credit: Imago/Getty Images

James Barker

Mon 6 April 2026 11:10, UK Updated Mon 6 April 2026 13:45, UK

Tottenham Hotspur will wish they kept Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg now, as Roberto De Zerbi helped him return to his best at Marseille.

The central midfielder left Tottenham to sign for Marseille in the summer transfer window of 2024, initially joining the French Ligue 1 side on a season-long loan.

However, he was entering the final 12 months of his Spurs contract at that time, and as such, he joined them on a permanent basis last summer following the end of his loan deal.

Now 30, the Danish international had probably his least impactful season in a Tottenham shirt during his final 2023-24 campaign in N17, and so many felt his exit made sense at the time.

But, before he became Tottenham’s new manager, De Zerbi was in charge of Marseille, and the Italian certainly helped reignite the former Lilywhites favourites’ form in France.

How has Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg been playing for Marseille?

De Zerbi became Marseille manager in June 2024: the same summer that as aforementioned, Hojbjerg made his own move there.

Hojbjerg’s debut 2024-25 season for the French outfit was superb, providing two goals and four assists in 30 Ligue 1 games, as he became a rock in the heart of De Zerbi’s engine room.

As per Sofascore, he recorded a 93 per cent passing accuracy, played 1.5 key passes per game, averaged 109.4 touches per game and made zero errors leading to goals.

It was the Hojbjerg that Tottenham fans fell in love with, and he’s continued his excellent debut campaign into his sophomore season with Marseille.

So far in 2025-26, he’s made 26 appearances with 24 starts in Ligue 1, once again scoring twice and providing four assists.

As per Sofascore, he’s registering a passing accuracy of 91 per cent and a 95 per cent pass success rate inside his own half, has created five big chances and is taking 82.9 touches per game.

He’s also recovering 4.8 balls per game, has made zero errors leading to goals, has a 56 per cent dribble success rate and has won 61 per cent of his aerial duels.

In short, it’s been another dominant season in Ligue 1 for Hojbjerg, with Marseille no doubt counting their lucky stars that they were able to bag his signature from Tottenham.

Hojbjerg and De Zerbi partnership could’ve been huge for Spurs

Judging by the numbers he’s been putting up for Marseille since he left Tottenham, you would have to think Hojbjerg would walk back into Spurs’ starting lineup now.

Especially considering it would see him reuniting with De Zerbi, who as previously mentioned, helped instigate his success in France.

This current Tottenham team lacks leaders, bite, and a bit of pride in wearing the shirt: Hojbjerg didn’t lack anything in those departments.

His leadership in the middle of the park would be a godsend in N17 right now, but De Zerbi will instead have to try and navigate Spurs to safety with what he’s got.