Player Watch: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

[Snarfalicious]

This is a great start to the window. Already upgraded the starting XI for £3m. What’s not to like?

 

[rossdapep]

Fair play to Levy if that's accurate. Strengthens us without really dipping into the funds.

If Ndombele goes I feel that we will need another 2 cms. 1 box to box and 1 creative as it's been clear the last few weeks we really need a creative spark and if we're losing Ndombele we need to replace him too. Brozovic and Brooks would be ideal but I doubt we have the outlay for that. Unless we sell Sissoko too.

The objective was to improve our central area with more tactical aware and technical skilled players. This is a start.

 

[Roberts84]

I don't remember Makelele doing much else other than breaking up play, making tackles/interceptions and playing it simple to retain possession. I'm not saying PEH is as good as CM was, but ss far as out and out DM's are concerned it's about keeping it simple and doing a job. It lets the more technical and creative players around them do theres more effectively. I'd argue at Southampton he doesn't have the quality around him to do all the creative stuff and it forces him to do stuff out of his comfort zone at times.

JM has singled him out and let's face it he certainly knows a DM when he see's one.

Players that are really good in that position at keeping it simple and breaking up play don't get the credit they deserve until they leave and then everyone realises what they had when it's all too late.

Great price if true.

 

[mill]

Fair play to levy if this is done at them prices and this early great start to the window

 

[Saoirse]

I have faith in Jose on the pitch. But on the transfer side this man sold Lukaku, De Bruyne and Salah as young players. I can't say I trust his judgement on Ndombele.

 

[HildoSpur]

Absolutely sensational deal that if we pull it off.

 

[0-Tibsy-0]

Ndom

Sad times.

 

[DiVaio]

I have faith in Jose on the pitch. But on the transfer side this man sold Lukaku, De Bruyne and Salah as young players. I can't say I trust his judgement on Ndombele.

He sold Lukaku, bought Diego Costa who played much better season than Lukaku next season, bought him few years later.

 

[dtxspurs]

He sold Lukaku, bought Diego Costa who played much better season than Lukaku next season, bought him few years later.

We won't spend the kind of money required to go back on a deal like that.

 

[felmani26]

I have faith in Jose on the pitch. But on the transfer side this man sold Lukaku, De Bruyne and Salah as young players. I can't say I trust his judgement on Ndombele.

If Ndombele doesn't fit in Jose's system and/or buy into his philosophy then I've got absolutely no qualms in him ultimately being sold.

That goes for any player and as you say, if you have faith in Jose on the pitch then everything else is very much secondary because he'll have been a success for this club.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Don’t disagree with this but I think if Ndombele goes we need another midfielder, either a 10 if Mou sees Lo Celso as an 8 or an 8 if he sees him as a 10. Could also see at least one of Sissoko and Lamela leaving.

Totally agree. And either a good 8 or a good ten coming in for either of Lamela or Sissoko would improve us. But I’m not expecting we’ll do quite that much surgery in the current circumstances.

I agree but I'm getting more ambivalent about losing Ndombele. If he really can't be arsed to get fit he's no use to us and if we could get a players like Skriniar and Brozovic as per the rumours, that doesn't sound too bad. I'd also like Winks to stay and it would increase the chances of that. Ndombele might become a complete monster or he could equally be a complete rub out. I'm kind of OK with it either way as long as we end up with something in the end.

Agreed. Right now with Ndombele we’re dealing with a lot of ifs and maybes, which given our history in such situations does frighten me some.

 

[JayB]

It would be understandable if Ndombele left the club but it's absolutely imperative that we bring in a replacement. We still haven't adequately replaced Dembele, which has been a major part of our decline. We need a player there, and a good one at that.

 

[chrissivad]

Some ITKs in saints web claim that PEH costs us 15m + 3m add on, while KWP close to 10m. Not sure about their reliability though.

I was that post, but are they ITK?
Couldn't see much from looking at past posts

 

[Johno1470]

I have faith in Jose on the pitch. But on the transfer side this man sold Lukaku, De Bruyne and Salah as young players. I can't say I trust his judgement on Ndombele.

I’ll add a bit more context. He sold Lukaku, KDB and Salah as he wanted to buy or already had prime Diego Costa, Fabregas and Willian at his disposal not forgetting the likes of Pedro, Matic, Lampard too. He also won the league the season after those guys left.

Jose typically doesn’t hang around long enough to bear fruit from the younger players. He’s here to win with us and if he wants players brought in or sold we need to back him 100%.

 

[Bombsey]

It would be understandable if Ndombele left the club but it's absolutely imperative that we bring in a replacement. We still haven't adequately replaced Dembele, which has been a major part of our decline. We need a player there, and a good one at that.

Sergej Milinković-Savić
?

 

[Univarn]

Sky Sports as well now

 

[spursfan77]

I’m not convinced of him but for basically £3m and the fact that his arrival means less of Sissoko (and hopefully him being sold) then I’m on board with it.

Hopefully I’m wrong about him and he has a long and successful career with us.

 

[dtxspurs]

Sergej Milinković-Savić
?

No shot.

 

[phieffect]

It's funny Saints fans have spent a month saying he's awful and now they're salty they "only" got 15 million.

 

[rossdapep]

I have faith in Jose on the pitch. But on the transfer side this man sold Lukaku, De Bruyne and Salah as young players. I can't say I trust his judgement on Ndombele.

He actually didn't sell Salah. He bought Salah but Chelsea were fighting for the title so it was hard to give him game time and Jose said he was a little lost in London. They then decided to loan him out so he'd at least get game time and confidence - which he did do.

By the time it came for him to return after Roma, Jose was long gone. Then Chelsea sold him to Roma anyway.

De Bruyne was probably a mistake as Jose probably needed to talk to him rather than give him the cold shoulder. However Chelsea won the league after so they were hardly crying about it at the time. They bought Fabregas, Willian and Matic, Oscar was doing well and it was clearly hard to fit him in as he was young and needed time to improve - the others could do the job immediately. De Bruyne was also a WF/Winger at the time before Pep changed his role.