It’s done! Tottenham Hotspur has confirmed that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has left the club, moving to Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille.
There was much talk about the specifics of the loan last night, but according to Alasdair Gold it’s not technically a purchase — at least not yet. Hojbjerg heads to Marseille on a season-long loan with a purchase obligation next summer. Initial reports suggested a €13.5 fee, but Alasdair Gold suggests there are various performance-related clauses that could kick the total fee as high as €20m (£17m).
In addition, there are reports that Spurs also have a sell-on clause in the transfer agreement, meaning Tottenham will get a small cut of Pierre’s NEXT sale as well.
Tottenham has been criticized for not being able to shift players out, and while there’s still a lot of work to do, getting Hojbjerg out the door is a significant achievement. I know some fans are disappointed by the fee, but it’s a pretty good price all told for a 28-year old player whom Spurs bought four years ago for £15m and who is in the last year of his contract.
Ange Postecoglou has said a number of times that he has to change the squad to get it to where it needs to be. Hojbjerg has been privately angling for an exit to a new club and had a good Euros. Marseille isn’t necessarily a prestige club and isn’t playing European football, but it’s probably a good landing place for him and I hope he does well.
Thanks for everything, General Ho. Give him a Viking funeral!