The £40m ideal Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg replacement is right under Tottenham’s nose

You know that scene in Spider-Man 2 where our hero has to stop a runaway subway train with nothing but his bare hands and the jet streams of uber-tensile web they shoot? You know how the close-up of Tobey Maguire’s face, contorted and wrought as he simulates the unimaginable physical stress of being stretched to a point of near-bisection by a careering hunk of metal full of fragile commuters, has become a meme? You know how his limbs nearly pop out of their sockets and his entire body goes limp as the carriage finally judders to a halt and the exertion of it all becomes too much? When I think of Ange Postecoglou trying to keep his newly-inherited Tottenham Hotspur squad together this summer, this is what I imagine.

Already there have been enough column inches dedicated to the simmering Harry Kane saga to cover the distance between north London and Munich, and the best part of a return trip too. Elsewhere, World Cup winner Hugo Lloris remains insistent in his desire to leave the club for pastures nouveau. And now, it would appear that midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is shuffling ever closer to the exit door too.

According to reports, talks are ongoing between Tottenham and Spanish giants Atletico Madrid over a potential transfer for the Dane, who has been identified as a priority target by Diego Simeone’s men. Thus far, Spurs have resisted any and all advances for their asset, but there is a growing feeling that they could be willing to sell for the right price.

And that, in turn, would open up a void in the heart of Postecoglou’s team that will need to be filled. Tottenham are seemingly aware of this too, and already a smattering of names are being spewed forth as possible replacements for Hojbjerg.

Perhaps the most unsurprising is that of Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher. Anybody who is anybody has been linked with the England international this summer amid ongoing suggestions that he has been deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge. Or at least, he would have been if the Blues hadn’t already offloaded Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, and Jorginho in recent times. It’s a weird dichotomy to be both unwanted and indispensable at the same time.

If Chelsea can finally prise Moises Caicedo from Brighton’s iron grasp in the coming weeks, Gallagher’s availability will surely sky-rocket, but as things stand, Mauricio Pochettino can ill-afford to lose another body in the centre of the park.

That’s a shame for Postecoglou, who is said to be an admirer of the 23-year-old’s swashbuckling dynamism, but it may also prove to be a blessing in disguise. You see, according to the Daily Mail, alongside Gallagher, Spurs are also understood to be keeping tabs on Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz - and this has the feeling of a deal that they should really focus their attentions on.

What Hojbjerg brings to this Tottenham side is an alchemical blend of the disruptive and the propulsively creative. Not only does he spur Spurs on, so to speak, but he does so by putting himself about like a vexed bull running the streets of Pamplona. Whoever comes in to succeed him, therefore, needs to possess a certain robust quality that Gallagher perhaps does not.

But Luiz does. Last season, according to Whoscored, the Brazilian recorded more tackles, interceptions, and clearances in the Premier League per 90 minutes than his English counterpart, and even made more ball-winning interventions than Hojbjerg himself in one-on-one duels.

His talents are not just limited to ruinaton, either. Again, as per the number-crunchers at Whoscored, Luiz scored more goals, provided more assists, took more shots, and made more key passes than either Gallagher or Hojbjerg in the Premier League last season, and he outstripped the Chelsea star in terms of both pass completion rate and successful dribbles too.

To put it another way, there is barely an expectation of the modern midfielder that Luiz doesn’t outperform Gallagher on, and even in those rare instances in which Hojbjerg surpasses him, the disparity is often marginal at best. In short, he feels like a readymade alternative to the Dane.

How easy a deal would be to complete remains to be seen, of course; this time last year, Villa slapped a price tag of around £40 million his forehead amid oppressive interest from Arsenal, and he has inked a fresh contract since then. It is also unclear at this stage as to how integral Unai Emery regards him to the Villans own aspirations going forward.

But if there is even the slightest likelihood of Tottenham being able to lure Luiz to north London this summer, this is the avenue that they should wholeheartedly pursue.