Tottenham Hotspur allowed Pierre-Emile Højbjerg to join Marseille on a loan deal with an obligation to buy in July.
The Denmark international decided to leave Tottenham after struggling for regular game time under Ange Postecoglou last season.
Marseille wanted to sign the Tottenham owned player at the start of this year. That’s at least what their advisor, Medhi Benatia, indicated during an interview with beIN Sports, relayed by Le10 Sport.
During Benatia’s playing career, he played alongside the 28-year-old at Bayern Munich. The Ligue 1 side’s official knew the midfielder’s qualities and wanted to sign, months after he arrived at the club in November 2023.
The Moroccan has now revealed the French club couldn’t make an approach earlier due to their financial situation.
When asked to give an insight into the deal for the Tottenham man, he said: “Behind the scenes of the recruitment of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg? Pierre was a bit like my little one already at Bayern, and I really liked this little fiery young man, a fighter in training. He didn’t give up.
“When I arrived here, he was one of the first names. We had financial problems, so it wasn’t possible. When we wanted to change the entire squad a little, he was a priority for me to try to relaunch the file [project]. When we talk about Pierre, he’s the one who improves others for me.”
The defensive midfielder has clocked in 356 minutes from four games for Roberto De Zerbi’s side this season. The Dane’s time at Tottenham will come to an end when Marseille exercise the mandatory purchase option.
