Hojbjerg Stripped of Marseille Captaincy After Rejecting Newcastle Move

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been stripped of the Marseille captaincy after refusing a move to Newcastle United, triggering a power struggle behind the scenes at the Ligue 1 club.

Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle had targeted the Danish midfielder as his replacement for Bruno Guimaraes, with Magpies sporting director Ross Wilson driving negotiations. Marseille were prepared to cash in, agreeing in principle to a £15 million deal and expecting the player to follow.

He didn’t.

Hojbjerg has no interest in joining Newcastle, a stance that has angered club owner Frank McCourt and prompted a swift response from the hierarchy: the armband has been taken away and handed to Timothy Weah.

The decision played out in full view on Friday. Hojbjerg started against Atletico Madrid and completed the match, but it was Weah who led the team out as captain. The message from upstairs was unmistakable. The man on the touchline, though, was far from convinced.

Marseille manager Bruno Genesio made it clear the call was not his.

“It is a decision that was dictated to me by the club's management,” he said after the game. “If I want to be completely frank, and I will be, it is not a decision that I agree with. But I am an employee, I have to comply with certain obligations. We did it.”

So Hojbjerg keeps his place in the XI, loses his armband, and finds himself at the centre of a tug-of-war between sporting priorities and financial strategy. The club wanted a sale. The player refused. The punishment is symbolic, but sharp.

For Newcastle, the picture is clearer. There is little appetite on Tyneside to chase a player who does not want the move, and attention is already drifting elsewhere.

The Magpies have put a three-year contract on the table for Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha, looking to reinforce the heart of their midfield with a proven operator. Yet even there, resistance awaits: the Portuguese prefers a switch to Aston Villa.

Newcastle’s search for a Guimaraes successor goes on. Marseille, meanwhile, must decide how long they can live with a captain without an armband and an owner still waiting for a transfer that never came.