Last summer, Daniel Levy knew that he needed to make the right managerial appointment at Tottenham Hotspur after falling by the wayside under Antonio Conte, who was sacked last March.
Finishing eighth in the Premier League meant that European competition was not on the cards, and while high-profile gaffers such as Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique were touted, it was Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou, who had never managed in one of Europe's 'big five leagues' who was tasked with leading the club.
But no matter, the 58-year-old has nurtured his coaching skills with painstaking prudence and this was reflected through Spurs' stunning start to the 2023/24 season, winning eight and drawing two of their opening Premier League matches before injuries and suspensions stifled the progress throughout November and December.
He's brought in numerous exciting signings while shipping on some of the deadwood, and while this is all pointing toward a successful new era, there is more work to be done before Tottenham can sustain a spot at the forefront of European and Premier League football.
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This summer, it's likely that further acquisitions will be made and fringe players will be ditched, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg certain to be one of the first to be pushed toward the exit door.
Why Spurs signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
In November 2019, right after Mauricio Pochettino was sacked, it was announced that Jose Mourinho would take the reins at Tottenham, the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager identified for his innate winning mentality.
All know that it didn't go to plan, but he did engineer the £15m signing of Hojbjerg from Southampton during the summer of 2020, landing the Denmark international for a bargain fee after the player forced his exit from the south coast.
Hojbjerg's ball-playing crispness and natural defensive ability made for the perfect general to organise and issue control in Mourinho's engine room.
Conversely, Hojbjerg is somewhat incongruous under Postecoglou's enterprising and fluid set-up, but his core qualities are still clear, ranking among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 10% for progressive passes and the top 13% for clearances per 90, as per FBref.
Now, after amassing 172 appearances for the Lilywhites, the 28-year-old is marooned on the fringe and months away from entering the final year of his contract.
Given that he's earning a pretty penny, he must be sold this summer.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's wage at Spurs
Levy is not frugal with his salary distribution but he certainly doesn't go overboard, with Heung-min Son – the club's top earner – taking home a salary of less than £200k-per-week.
Heung-min Son
£190k-p/w
James Maddison
£170k-p/w
Timo Werner (on loan)
£165k-p/w
Cristian Romero
£165k-p/w
Dejan Kulusevski
£110k-p/w
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
£100k-p/w
Richarlison
£90k-p/w
Pedro Porro
£85k-p/w
Radu Dragusin
£85k-p/w
Ben Davies
£80k-p/w
Hojbjerg earns half that amount but is the fifth-highest earner on the books (not including Timo Werner, who joined from RB Leipzig on loan in January).
The 6 foot 1 star, who takes home healthy earnings of £100k-per-week, is actually on more than both Richarlison (£90k-per-week) and Pedro Porro (£85k-per-week), who have easily been two of Tottenham's most influential members since Postecoglou took to the dugout.
Richarlison, for example, signed from divisional rivals Everton in 2022 for a sizeable £60m fee, and while he struggled last season, the Brazilian forward has finally hit a brilliant purple patch and boasts nine goals from his past ten fixtures in the top-flight.
Porro, meanwhile, has arguably been the best full-back in the Premier League this season, utterly mesmerising in his all-encompassing brilliance down the right flank.
As per Sofascore, the 24-year-old – who signed from Sporting Lisbon for £39m in the summer after spending the second half of the 2022/23 term on loan) has provided seven assists from 23 league games, averaging 1.7 key passes, 2.9 tackles, 5.7 ball recoveries and 2.5 clearances per match while succeeding with 54% of his duels and 59% of his dribbles.
Hojbjerg clearly has no future at Tottenham and has been persistently linked with an exit throughout the campaign, reportedly rejecting an official approach from struggling French team Lyon in January.
Why Spurs want to sell Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
The primary reason that Postecoglou is eager to sell Hojbjerg lies in the fact that his best strengths are not reflected to their max within the new system.
Described as a "warrior" in the past by former Tottenham man Alan Hutton, Hojbjerg will find success elsewhere but if he remains with the squad for the 2024/25 campaign then he will only hamper his chances of finding prominence at the highest level once again.
Postecoglou has only fielded Hojbjerg from the outset six times in the Premier League this season, having completed 89% of his passes but only averaged 0.2 key passes, one tackle, 3.6 ball recoveries and 2.1 successful duels per match, as per Sofascore.
Contrasting that with the young Pape Matar Sarr for example, who has also completed 89% of his passes but averaged 0.8 key passes and 4.9 ball recoveries per fixture, it's clear to see that the Dane is lacking a certain mobility and agility in his game.
The squad has already waved goodbye to the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Tanguy Ndombele and Eric Dier since Postecoglou's arrival, and Hojbjerg will surely be taking his leave during the off-season.
It's clear that Postecoglou's system requires a certain frame of player, and while Hojbjerg has enjoyed ample success in the Premier League and indeed at Tottenham, he must search for a new chapter by the close of the campaign.
He must do so for his own sake, finding an outfit that will welcome his industrious attributes, but also to free Spurs of one of their biggest burdens on the wage bill, facilitating further investment to continue the flowering revival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.