The Dane will arrive from Southampton in a deal worth £15million, with Spurs becoming his third permanent club after breaking through at Bayern Munich under Pep Guardiola.
Standard Sport’s Dan Kilpatrick wrote recently of how Hojbjerg’s arrival will be key to Mourinho unlocking club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele’s potential after a frustrating, and underwhelming, first season.
Hojbjerg’s character impressed both Guardiola and at Southampton, where he was made captain in 2018, where his confidence, conviction and ability to read the game was well regarded.
At Spurs, the 25-year-old will be tasked with providing a firm base for more adventurous and creative players to flourish.
Hojbjerg recently spoke to the Football Ramble Daily podcast about how he sees himself as a player, which aligns with how Mourinho plans to use him in north London.
“I need to take the responsibility in the game to bring the A-game,” he said in a podcast published in May. “My idea of playing, of who I was, was always taking responsibility, always in the difficult moments as well. But ‘responsibility’ is not always taking the ball and drilling past five guys and trying to score.
“My biggest strength is making other players better, you know. Supporting them, playing the right balls, doing the right runs, fighting for them, feeding them, analysing the game, reading the game, playing the game as it should be played.
“There are games where you have to play tougher, be tougher, there are games where you have to be more composed, games where you have to find the space a bit more wide or a bit more inside.
“So to read the game, or to make my team-mates better, or the best players in the team even better, that’s what I love doing and what I do the best.”
Despite his relative young age, Hojbjerg is not afraid to shy away. Pep Guardiola once said he could be the “Sergio Busquets of Bayern Munich”, before making the move to the Premier League when just out of his teens.
He added: “Of course I have qualities, of course I know what to do with the ball, but to be the guy who brings the team together to get the best out of everyone is what I really feel very comfortable in and strong in.
“Sometimes saying the right thing is not always the easiest thing. You’ve got to take the hit, the fight and the confrontation. But also put your arm around to support, be positive, be creative. All these parts of a football player’s personality is important if you want to be a leader, not just for one game but for 15 years of your career.
“Mainly it’s about responsibility. Take the responsiblity but don’t try to do it alone and get the best people to do the best possible things.”
