Everton appear to be already pushing ahead with their summer transfer plans after Paul Joyce revealed some exciting news on Twitter late last night.
The Times reporter claims that the Toffees have bid ‘in the region of’ £14m for wantaway Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Everton have tabled a bid in the region of £14m for Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) July 16, 2020
It comes amid solid interest from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are yet to submit an offer of their own despite being one of the front-runners to land the former Bayern Munich man.
Carlo Ancelotti said earlier this week that he had been promised funds to bolster his side and despite not wanting to comment on Hojbjerg following a 1-1-1 draw with Aston Villa, he’s clearly a wanted player.
Would you be happy to sign Hojbjerg this summer?
Yes, yes!
No way!
The Italian has a job and a half on his hands so starting with the midfield would be a smart move to make.
Hojbjerg hasn’t enjoyed a spectacular season on the south coast, but that’s not his job and a lot of the time his hard work goes unnoticed – in 32 appearances, he’s averaged 2.5 tackles, 1.5 clearances, 1.4 interceptions, 1.4 shots and 1.3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.
Industrious.
By comparison, Ancelotti’s regular duo Tom Davies and Andre Gomes are some way off, so much so that the pair of them have only managed to make 64% of the 80 tackles the Dane has made this season.
And despite Ralph Hasenhuttl stripping him of the captaincy for letting his contract run into a final year, the 24-year-old has been lauded as a “great leader” in the past by Saints goalie Angus Gunn.
“He is a great leader. If I didn’t know how old he was, I definitely wouldn’t say he is 23-years-old. He is one of the older heads in the dressing room if you like and, obviously, he has been around the block. He’s played for Bayern Munich, which is a massive club. He has been there and done it. He is a great player to have in the dressing room.”
A swoop for Hojbjerg would certainly be a step in the right direction for the Ancelotti era at Goodison Park, but it would by no means solve all of the problems facing the club.
Just remember, £34m has been wasted on the one-goal winger Alex Iwobi.