Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey in recent days.
Recent reports have claimed that Villa could be forced to make a sale before June due to profit and sustainability rules.
This has alerted the likes of Tottenham and Bayern Munich to the potential availability of Jacob Ramsey.
Spurs have reportedly made their admiration for Ramsey clear and the Villains would be forced to listen to offers above £50 million for the midfielder.
Ange Postecoglou is keen to bring in a fresh option in the middle of the park, with Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher also of interest.
The arrival of a new midfielder is likely to depend on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s future and the Dane is seemingly set to stay in north London until the summer at least.
Yet, Spurs will undoubtedly be planning ahead for the summer window and in our view, Ramsey would represent a significant upgrade on Hojbjerg in Postecoglou’s system.
Ramsey would be massive upgrade on Hojbjerg
Hojbjerg has performed fairly well as a squad player for Tottenham this season, racking up 20 appearances in the Premier League. But there is no getting away from the fact he isn’t a natural fit for a Postecoglou side.
The 28-year-old doesn’t possess the required qualities on the ball to play in the No.6 role in Aussie’s side.
Take Yves Bissouma for example, who excelled during the early stages of the season largely due to his ability to carry the ball through midfield.
Hojbjerg stacks up well when it comes to his range of passing and has looked more comfortable in the No.8 role this term.
Yet, he lacks the athleticism and ball-carrying abilities to play that role to full effect. Ramsey, on the other hand, excels in these two areas of the game.
According to statistics site FBref, the Villa star has averaged 3.36 progressive carries per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. In comparison, Hojbjerg has managed just 1.19 per 90.
Hojbjerg is currently outperforming the Villa midfielder considerably when it comes to progressive passing, averaging 8.89 per 90 in comparison to Ramsey’s 2.99.
Nevertheless, Ramsey has plenty of time to improve in this aspect of his game and Postecoglou is certainly the ideal manager to bring the best out of the 22-year-old.
While Hojbjerg looks set to remain at Spurs until the summer, his long-term future remains unclear and bringing in a player of Ramsey’s quality would boost Postecoglou’s options in midfield.
The Englishman is capable of playing in various roles in midfield, as well as off the left-hand side of the front three.
His ability to receive the ball between the lines would also be a huge plus for Postecoglou and he could even provide cover for James Maddison in that creative midfield role.
Hojbjerg often receives unfair criticism for his performances in a Tottenham shirt but in our view, he’s a player who Spurs should be looking to upgrade on in the summer and Ramsey would tick plenty of boxes for Postecoglou.
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