‘Can see him leaving’ – Sky Sports pundit makes Spurs exit claim over 'very aggressive' colossus

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips has tipped Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to make the move to AS Roma in the summer transfer window.

The 26-year-old joined Tottenham from Southampton in 2020 in a deal worth £15m. Since then, the Denmark international has gone on to play an important part in Spurs’ midfield, having amassed 85 appearances for the club.

Hojbjerg has predominantly been used as a ball-winning defensive midfielder this season, having appeared in that role 22 times, averaging 2.1 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game (via WhoScored). Those figures rank him fourth and joint-second among Spurs’ squad for those respective metrics.

The midfielder has been ranked as Tottenham’s second-best player of the campaign so far, with a 7.14 SofaScore rating trumping star striker Harry Kane and bettered only by Heung-min Son.

Last summer, Football Insider reported that Roma manager Jose Mourinho was keen on a reunion with the Spurs midfielder, who the 59-year-old knows from his stint in north London.

Phillips, who appears as a pundit on Sky Sports, has now claimed that the decisive factor over the Dane’s future is the amount of game-time he receives before the end of the season. Speaking with Football Insider, he said:

“I can see that happening [a move to AS Roma]. Mourinho really likes him as a player. You could tell that when they were together at Spurs.

“He sits in front of that back four and breaks up the play well. Mourinho likes that kind of midfielder.

“I think Italy would suit him as well. It is not as quick as the Premier League, not that the pace of the Premier League is a problem to him. Hojbjerg is very aggressive in his play and can occasionally chip in with a goal. 

“It just depends if he’s going