Joao Palhinha to Tottenham: Everything you need to know

New York Times

a day ago

Tottenham Hotspur have signed Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich.
The deal for the 30-year-old includes an option to make the transfer permanent for €30million (£25.9m, $34.2m).
As part of this summer's transfer coverage on The Athletic, in addition to breaking news, tactical analysis and in-depth reads, our Transfers TLDR series (you can read them all here) will bring you a quick guide to each of the key deals.
A Portuguese international whose career has taken a wrong turn over the past year. In 2023, Palhinha, then of Fulham, nearly joined Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window, but the move fell apart. He eventually moved to the German side a year later.
By the time he arrived, Thomas Tuchel had been replaced by Vincent Kompany, and his role in the side no longer really existed. Palhinha was asked to be a more front-foot player, not the anchorman he was at Fulham, and he never found any rhythm.
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It left him out of favour this summer and available to Spurs.
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
He's an old-fashioned No 6 in many ways, in the sense that he's a ball-winner first. Palhinha built his reputation last time he was in the Premier League off the back of his defensive qualities — he's one of the few footballers to have compilations built entirely out of tackles — but he's no deadweight with the ball.
True, he's not a penetrative passer, but he's accomplished in possession and capable of showing shades of technique alongside his more rugged qualities, even if that's not what he's known for.
But Tottenham are certainly getting a competitor.
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
Given the lack of defensively robust midfielders in Tottenham's squad, Palhinha is a smart addition. He has a keen eye for how moves develop and knows when to make a defensive action, even if his hard tackling can occasionally result in fouls and yellow cards.
In 68 league games for Fulham between 2022 and 2024, he attempted 300 tackles, the highest across the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga across that timespan, and at least 76 more than any other player. Among central and defensive midfielders, his 92 interceptions ranked fifth.
Palhinha is not very comfortable breaking the lines or lifting the tempo of play with carries and risky passes, but if Thomas Frank pairs him with a more progressive option in Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr, or Rodrigo Bentancur at the base of midfield, Palhinha can recycle possession and protect the back line.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Certainly nothing to worry about, but he suffered a very badly timed abductor tear in November last year, which kept him out for six weeks and forced him to miss part of mid-season training camp during the winter break.
Long-term, it was of no consequence, but at the time, with Palhinha trying to build his confidence and others' trust in him at Bayern, it could not have occurred at a worse moment.
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Still, a clean bill of health since then.
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
'Physically, (Palhinha's) a beast,' his former Braga team-mate Rui Fonte told The Athletic last year.
'He added quality of his passing and his vision. Most of the time, he keeps it simple and that helps. He knows where he is strong and where he is not so strong. His range on the pitch was his main characteristic that I saw. He would help us everywhere on the pitch.'
Fonte also said Palhinha's hard-tackling style is well-suited to the Premier League.
'In Portugal, he had to learn the hard way. At the beginning, he would get quite a few yellow cards. But he's an intelligent player. He started to time and choose when to tackle. In England, it's a little bit aggressive — in a good way. He was in a league where he's more comfortable, because the referees allow the game to flow.'
Cerys Jones
Palhinha has joined Spurs on a season-long loan deal, whereafter his new club will have the option to make the move permanent for €30m. Spurs will cover Palhinha's wage in full during his time in north London.
Palhinha joined Bayern Munich for €51m a little over a year ago on a four-year deal.
Chris Weatherspoon
If we take it that Spurs, as has been reported, have paid a €5m (£4.3m) loan fee for Palhinha, all of it will be booked as a cost in their 2025-26 accounts. Likewise, they'll pay 100 per cent of Palhinha's wage for the next year, which won't be an immaterial amount.
Palhinha's new side can make his move permanent in a year if they choose to, with the €30m option to buy looking likely to ensure Bayern wouldn't take a loss on him if he were sold then.
Based on The Athletic's calculations, his book value in a year should be pretty much in line with that €30m figure. In the meantime, Bayern will book all of any loan fee received into their 2025-26 financials, as well as enjoy the savings on wages.
Chris Weatherspoon