Report: Club have now lost all hope of signing Spurs player in January

According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, Juventus no longer expect Tottenham Hotspur to sell Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg following Rodrigo Bentancur’s injury.

Tottenham found out on Tuesday that Bentancur would be out of action until February after tearing a ligament in his ankle (Football.London), with the news compounding the club’s injury crisis.

The Telegraph reported on Wednesday that following the Uruguayan’s injury, Spurs could decide against listening to offers for Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp in January.

It was explained that with Bentancur out of action, and with Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma set to be unavailable during AFCON, Ange Postecoglou cannot afford to lose the Dane or the Englishman.

Juventus fear Spurs will no longer part with Hojbjerg

This has now been backed up by Gazzetta, who say that Hojbjerg’s proposed move to Juve looks very unlikely to go through after Bentancur’s injury.

The report adds that there was already only a ‘small margin’ of negotiation between the Bianconeri and Spurs but the chances of the transfer are now ‘collapsing’.

It is suggested that the Old Lady may put off their pursuit of Hojbjerg until next summer, with the Lilywhites expected to demand around €25m (£21.6m) for the player at the time.

Even before Bentancur’s injury, Postecoglou was likely not going to green-light Hojbjerg’s transfer before Spurs brought a replacement through the door in January. The Uruguayan’s injury has ended any chance of the North London club listening to offers for the 28-year-old.

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Postecoglou reveals how the Spurs players have reacted to Bentancur injury.

Rodrigo Bentancur is a popular figure in the Tottenham locker room, and Ange Postecoglou has revealed that the players are upset about his departure.

Following his ACL injury in April, Bentancur’s return to action was greatly anticipated by Spurs supporters.

The Uruguayan started for Spurs against Aston Villa on Sunday, his first since the injury, and for the first thirty minutes of the match, it seemed as though he had never been away.

But then misfortune befell Bentancur and Spurs, as the midfield player had to be substituted following a rough tackle by Matty Cash. Scans revealed that Bentancur had torn his ligament, an injury that will likely keep him out of action for an additional two months (Sami Mokbel).

The news is devastating for both Ange Postecoglou, who is currently managing an uncomfortably lengthy injury list, and the former Juventus player.

Perspective is provided by the Bentancur injury.

Regarding Bentacnur’s misfortune, the Tottenham head coach was rather philosophical, saying that it should help other players realize how fortunate they are to be on the practice field every day.

The Australian midfielder responded to a question about whether the news about him had affected the team as a whole by telling Football.London, “Yeah, I think it does [impact the whole squad].” It’s not only that they know what he’s been through; they are aware of his popularity. They breathe and live it.

“They observe… even a man like Ryan Sessegnon and the struggles he faces every day. It serves as a constant reminder to all of the players that, well, life can be unpredictable and that, even in the best of circumstances, fate will still take its course. They sometimes live in a fickle world where, despite your best efforts, fate will still find a way to throw a wrench in things.

Because there is an alternative, and they have guys living and breathing it, that is why I expect them to be training every time they go outside, even on a chilly day like today.

“However, they are a fairly close-knit group that has undoubtedly gotten closer recently. You could see it on the day of the game; they were quite emotional and felt a lot of empathy for what he went through. But the fact that he has such a positive attitude helps. They are aware that he will return.

Over the past week, a lot has been said regarding Cash’s tackle; some have even suggested that the Villa star should be suspended retroactively (talkSPORT).

Postecoglou responded, “Nothing has really changed,” when asked how the Poland international’s challenge was received at Spurs. After the game, I said, “I didn’t think it was a great tackle, but you let the officials and referees handle that.” We saw it as something that was resolved that day.

When Bentancur returns from his ankle injury, he will have effectively missed a whole football season.

It is a significant blow to his career, coming at a time when it seemed the midfield player was about to elevate his play and establish himself as one of the best in the Premier League for his position.