Leading up to Bayern Munich’s match against Mainz 05 this weekend, Bayern’s sporting director, Christoph Freund, was asked about João Palhinha and his situation at Tottenham. Despite being one of the most valuable clubs in England’s Premier League, Spurs find themselves in the relegation zone going into the last stretch of matches.
Freund could not comment on the future of Palinha at this time, stating, “The situation at Tottenham is difficult. João is a fighter, he had a great start at Tottenham. The focus is entirely on avoiding relegation; Tottenham know what they have in him. But the situation there is very tense at the moment, so it’s difficult to say anything about the future right now.” (as recorded by @iMiaSanMia)
Whether or not Palhinha had heard these words from Freund before his match with Tottenham on Saturday, his performance showed that he was focused on helping Spurs avoid relegation. Away to Wolverhampton, he came off the bench and scored the match’s only goal. This took Tottenham out of the relegation zone momentarily, but a late West Ham goal gave them a win and keep them two points ahead of their crosstown rival with four matches to play.