Former Sunderland striker, Kevin Phillips, believes that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg already knows which club he is going to join this summer after the Southampton midfielder was stripped of his captaincy last week.
Tottenham Hotspur have been established as the favourites to land the 24-year-old, whose contract with Southampton has just a year left to run (Ekstra Bladet via Sport Witness).
Everton are also said to be extremely keen on bringing the Denmark international to Goodison Park (The Athletic).
Ralph Hasenhuttl revealed last week that Hojbjerg would be replaced by James Ward-Prowse as the Saints captain after the midfielder refused to sign a contract extension offered by the club (The Independent).
Phillips has backed Hasenhuttl’s decision to strip the rumoured Spurs target of the captaincy and claimed that the writing is on the wall for the midfielder this summer.
He claimed that Hojbjerg already knows where he is likely to end up and has been honest with his boss regarding that fact.
Speaking to Football Insider, the former Golden Boot winner said: “Losing the captaincy is a sign.
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“Hasenhuttl does not mess about down there. He makes decisions and is very strict about it.
“You feel that the writing is on the wall. I think Hojbjerg already knows where he is going – if you read between the lines.
“When you have been stripped of the captaincy, there must have been a conversation between the player and manager.
“Maybe there has been some honesty there. It is rare in football but, if that is the case, you have to give him credit for that.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Hojbjerg does look nailed on to leave Southampton this summer. As much as we need a signing like him, I am not completely confident that we will end up getting him. Southampton will look to get a bidding war going for the midfielder and I worry that a club like Everton could end up out-bidding us.
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