Tottenham Hotspur’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is among the very best in Europe when it comes to a rather unorthodox stat – the secondary assist.
If you’re not familiar with the term, a secondary assist is basically the pass just before the actual assist. It’s not something that is normally measured, but in this day and age of statistical obsession, it’s an attribute being recognised more and more.
Data gathered by OptaJoe from Europe’s top five leagues found that only six players have pre-assisted four or more times this season. Of those, only one player has five secondary assists to his name.
Among those, Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg makes the list with four secondary assists this season.
One of those secondary assists came in the win against Brighton on Saturday. Hojbjerg played an intelligent chipped pass into Heung-min Son on the edge of the box, before the South Korean whipped in a cross for Harry Kane to convert.
The Danish international has been in fine form this term, with two goals and two assists under his belt already (Transfermarkt).
He is joined on the list by superstars Lionel Messi and Kevin de Bruyne, who each have four pre-assists to their name too. Top of the pile though, is Barcelona’s Pedri, who has five secondary assists this campaign for the Spanish side.
Montpellier’s Leo Leroy and Lorient’s Enzo Le Fee round out the list, both registering four secondary assists.
Spurs Web Opinion
I will always relish the opportunity to sing the praises of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. I am firmly in the camp of those who regard Hojbjerg as one of the best players at Spurs, and someone who doesn’t get nearly enough attention for his work on the pitch.
It might sound like a bit of a nonsense statistic, the secondary assist, but it’s a really important part of the style of play at Spurs when you think about it.
Our quick, progressive counter-attack relies on people like Hojbjerg moving the ball forward and finding teammates in dangerous areas, whether that be a direct assist, or a pre-assist, they all lead to the same outcome.