With just a year of his contract left Pierre Emile Hojbjerg has yet to sign a new contract amid rumours he is Tottenham Hotspur's top transfer target, this week he has given his biggest indication yet of his intentions.

Rumours of Pierre Emile Hojbjerg's future have been flying around for the last six months as he comes to the final year of his contract.

Some Saints supporters have been very vocal about their rating of the Danish midfielder and it isn't really complimentary, however those same fans are usually less than gushing about Nathan Redmond and James Ward Prowse and a few years ago probably complained on a weekly basis about Sadio Mane and Pelle.

That is unfair although Hojbjerg had a slow start with Saints and looked like he was on his way out under Mauricio Pellegrino, he has been a versatile and solid performer in the past couple of seasons.

But is he good enough to be Spurs top target ? most would say that he has never really shown that extra spark that marks him out as a truly exceptional performer, but having said that he could be a player that needs and blossoms alongside top quality players.

Now though he has given his biggest indication of his future via and interview with German Sports media outlet Sport 1.

At Bayern Munich he was tipped for stardom but in his own words became impatient .

“My biggest weakness during this time was my impatience,” .

“I wasn’t ready to wait a year, two or three years for my breakthrough. I wanted to be important right away. I was too emotional too.

“But how can I fail? I trained with the best players in the world between the ages of 17 and 20. I was in a school of champions. But I wanted to get out of there and write my own story.

“I gained a lot of experience so that I could move on to develop elsewhere. When I was 23 I became a captain in a Premier League club. Now I’m hungry to get to the next level.”

Hojbjerg joined Saints in 2016, and after that difficult first season and a bit started to blossom and like any player he has the confidence and the ambition to play at the highest level.

When asked of his future plans he had this to say.

"I know what I want, the club knows it too. I want to play at an even higher level than I am currently. The relationship between me and Southampton is fantastic. The club gave me the platform to grow. I'm not saying 'Goodbye' and I'm focused on my club, but my goal is very clear: I want to win the Premier League and the Champions League."

So in terms of his Saints career this does not look good, but it should also be noted that if you asked all Premier League players of their ambitions, few would say that they want to spend it fighting relegation year in year out.

The nature of being a professional footballer is that you need to be driven, you need to have the self belief that you are good enough to play with the best.

So when Hojbjerg talks of his ambition that does not necessarily mean that he wan't to leave the club now or will not sign a new deal.

He has gave positive indications on his social media pages of wanting to stay with the club and he knows still aged 24 he has time to achieve those ambitions.

But he seems to be certainly aware of any potential interest, Spurs and Everton have been linked, but whether this is actually concrete or merely his agent trying to further his career is unclear.

If Hojbjerg was to leave then the Saints fanbase would be split, from my experience around 1/3 consider him a vital player to keep, another 1/3 see him as a solid player and that final 1/3 feel that he lacks what it takes to truly be one of the squads better players, with some of them very critical.

Personally I feel he has been a good player for Saints and like James Ward Prowse is often not appreciated for what he had done, I would be surprised if he did move to Spurs or a truly big club, but if he moved on then we have to say goodbye and take the money.

Maybe he will then go on to make some eat their words as did Sadio Mane, but when he moved to Liverpool it was a good deal for Saints, he was not giving us £35 million's worth of contribution, he blossomed at Liverpool in a way he didn't at St Mary's.

Tat too could be the case for Hojbjerg, I would rather he signed a contract and stayed, but if he left I feel if we used the money well then we could more than adequately replace him.

Photo: Action Images

bigrob68 added 08:30 - May 14 Energetic but lacks the skills to be a top performer, won't be missed.
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NewburySaint added 09:43 - May 14 There can be no denying he’s not had a great season......so far, but I think he would still be a loss to us. Last season he was our best player from start to finish and it was a travesty that Redmond was our player of the season because he only showed up after Ralph arrived (& there’s no denying he was great from then on in) whereas Hojberg was great from start to finish. Can’t see Spurs or Everton really want him as bona fide first team player though....,

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perazi added 10:47 - May 14 Mane was brilliant for us and looked every bit the world class player he now is. To liken him to Pelle, Hoj and Ward-Prowse is ridiculous.
7

Peterx added 11:05 - May 14 JWP and PEH would be a good base for defensive midfield and a good season next year, if we lose one or both we better have excellent replacements that can hit the ground running or we will be in trouble.
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SaintPaulVW added 11:14 - May 14 Players are all media trained so a bland statement like 'take it to the next level' means whatever you want to read into it. He's solid, a bit of a 'jack of all trades' midfielder rather than having any particular role. Agree that he hasn't been at his best this season but last year he was pretty good. Still a youngish player hence he isn't the finished article quite yet. The premiership experience makes him valuable to us and others tho. I've never been too blown away by his captaincy. Probably this is a result of his age. I'd say keep but if the price is right and he needs to be sold to finance a new arrival it may have to happen. We are fairly solid in midfield and someone leaving creates space for someone like Smallbone to step up. So in the dull realities of life that seems like the right answer. So .....Team Go! …..(Reluctantly)

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Jesus_02 added 11:56 - May 14 If the wages are right it makes sense for both parties to have another contract. As he said before patience was his weakness. Form comes and goes he needs to prove class if he is to get a meaningful move. ... comparing Redmond to Mane id like comparing PEH to Zidane
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davidargyll added 13:29 - May 14 Sounds to me what he is saying is that he feels he cannot realise his potential surrounded by the current group of players at the SAINTS. Now that may be wishful thinking on his part - I would tend to think he will unlikely be any more than a solid player - but it would nevertheless suggest that his heart isn't in it, so let's send him on his way...
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TimSaint added 14:46 - May 14 Is the photo used for this piece, one of him missing an open goal at the death, away to Villa just before Xmas ? (yes I know the photo is really from the game at St Marys, but just wanted to make a point that he doesn't score very often !! ;-) )
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the_saint added 15:27 - May 14 He will end up like spider and wanyama going nowhere grass ain't always greener mr hojberg
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codge added 21:14 - May 14 I think he passed the ball to the opposite team more than any other player l remember playing for Saints in my time of watching them in 66yrs.
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TimSaint added 12:38 - May 15 Ooooooh Pierre Hojbjerg The one and only He's from Munich They said his days were numbered if he stayed at Southampton So now he's in North London and he plays for Tottenham (Reserves) .......He wishes
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underweststand added 17:02 - May 16 Most players are good if they are played in their best role, but I have rarely seen PEH finding his best position. Yes he has skill and some sort of talent, and as he is so clearly ambitious to go to a higher level - a move would be a win-win situation ....as long as we don't get palmed off with another cash + player deal with Spurs, who (historically) have some discard to dump on us in such deals.

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