Southampton: Superb stats show exactly why clubs want to sign Hojbjerg

Southampton fans will have seen passion, energy and commitment aplenty from captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this season.

However, what makes him so good – and causes other clubs to be reportedly interested in him – isn’t so obvious without a detailed look at the stats he has accumulated this year.

The Danish international has made 27 appearances in the league for Saints this season and looks to be perfectly suited to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s current system.

A first-choice Saints starting 11 normally sees Hojbjerg partnered with James Ward-Prowse as two central-midfielders in a 4-2-2-2 formation, and both have been carrying out their job brilliantly.

The central-midfielders have to join the attack, protect the defence and, most importantly, join the front four when they press.

This press that Hasenhuttl has introduced to Saints’ style has produced perhaps the best displays that Hojbjerg has put in during his time at St Mary’s.

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Tackles and Interceptions are both vital for winning the ball back in a pressing style – for dispossessing an opponent directly or by stopping a pass from reaching its intended target.

Hojbjerg ranks highly in both of these, with his 64 successful tackles and 39 interceptions seeing him at 13th and 27th in the Premier League in both categories respectively (whoscored.com).

Somewhat more surprising are the midfielder’s numbers when it comes to winning aerial duels.

Screening the back four has seen him contest 91 aerial duels so far this campaign, with an impressive 49 of those won despite not being known for his heading ability.

In all, this means that Hojbjerg has won the ball from the opposition 152 times in all and at an average of 5.6 times per game – potentially match-defining if he then uses possession economically to help the forwards create chances.

When on the ball, he has made 1,527 passes which is the 15th highest amount in the top-flight this campaign.

Just 27 of these are defined as ‘key passes’ by whoscored.com, so it would appear that Hojbjerg’s role sees him mainly tasked with winning back possession whilst James Ward-Prowse creates more.

The Saints captain would probably like to contribute more in forward areas with just one assist and no goals this season, but it is hard to ignore his numbers from other categories more relevant to his role on the pitch.

Although stats can be misleading sometimes, these show that Hojbjerg is a very good midfield presence for Saints and confirm why other clubs are interested.

However, they also highlight exactly why Saints will be so keen to keep him to grow into Hasenhuttl’s style over many years.

(All stats according to whoscored.com)