Flawed Tottenham star ‘within reach’ of Euro heavyweight as big summer exodus begins

A long-serving Tottenham star is reportedly edging closer to a move to Spain following reports that emerged on Friday as the club prepare for a high turnover of players this summer.

As many as 10 Spurs players could leave the club in the coming months after Ange Posetcoglou that he does not currently have the players at his disposal to execute the brand of football he really.

Those comments came off the back of a mostly terrible end of the season in which Tottenham lost five of their last seven games to finish outside of the Champions League places.

The Australian was clearly agitated by certain elements in play at the north London club and has vowed to fix them going forward to give Spurs much more chance of success in the long run.

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Postecoglou is expected to focus on bolstering his spine, with another centre-back, at least one central midfielder and a new No.9 brought in.

However, to that he will likely to offload some fringe players and midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg appears to be right at the front of the queue.

The Dane has been a solid performer for Tottenham since arriving in 2020 and was a regular starter under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

But his type of spoiling game is not what Postecoglou wants from a defensive midfielder, as he wants more fluidity running from defence, through midfield and into the attack.

Hojbjerg is simply not comfortable enough in possession to work his way out of the opposition press and has given up numerous chances this season with careless ball retention.

To that end, the 28-year-old will be shown the door this season – but he at least has some takers who still value the qualities he has.

Atletico ramp up Hojbjerg pursuit

Indeed, one manager who loves a good spoiler is Atletico Madrid chief Diego Simeone.

The Argentine’s sides are well known for their physicality and discipline, which should fit perfectly into Hojbjerg’s wheelhouse.

Reports from Spain suggest that Simeone has reignited his efforts to land the Tottenham star, having tried to strike a deal last summer.

Having missed out on Hojbjerg, Atletico then switched their focus elsewhere. But the fact he is for sale again has piqued the LaLiga outfit’s interest again for a player who is well ‘within range’ of what they can afford.

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Indeed, Atletico are ready to take advantage of Tottenham’s desperation to sell a player who will be out of contract in the summer of 2025.

From Spurs’ point of view, offloading Hojbjerg as early in the window as possible will allow Postecoglou to attempt to grab his top target for the position – Atalanta ace Ederson.