Marseille’s advisor Medhi Benatia reveals that he was the one who pushed for the signing of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, having been a fan of the Tottenham man for a long time.
Hojbjerg joined Marseille on loan with obligation to buy
Hojbjerg was a player who split opinion during his time at Tottenham but he was a fixture in the team under three different managers until Ange Postecoglou’s arrival.
The Denmark international’s four-year spell at Spurs came to an end earlier this summer, with the 29-year-old signing on an initial loan deal with Marseille, with an obligation that will see the move become permanent next summer.
Hojbjerg has made a decent start to his time at the Ligue 1 club, with Roberto de Zerbi’s men sitting second in the table with three wins and a draw from four matches.
Hojbjerg is thriving over in Marseille
Benatia has now revealed that he wanted to sign the former Spurs man as soon as he arrived at Marseille but the finances of his operation made it difficult.
The Moroccan explained that the midfielder was a priority signing for the club this summer at the start of their new project.
He told Le10 Sport: “Behind the scenes of the recruitment of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg? Pierre was a bit like my little one already at Bayern, and I really liked this little fiery young man, a fighter in training. He didn’t give up.
“When I arrived here, he was one of the first names. We had financial problems, so it wasn’t possible. When we wanted to change the entire squad a little, it was a priority for me to try to relaunch the file [project]. When we talk about Pierre, he’s the one who improves others for me.”
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While Hojbjerg was not quite good enough to play for a side with title-winning aspirations in the Premier League, there is no doubt that he has the mentality of a winner.
That is why this move is a very good one for him as he will undoubtedly shine in Ligue 1 and is playing for a side that will compete in the top end of the table.