"This win means much more than just three points to me, the fans and the whole club," Palhinha said afterwards. However, the victory was not enough to lift Tottenham out of the relegation zone. Rival West Ham United, who simultaneously beat Everton, remain two points ahead with four matches left for both sides.
Palhinha’s future remains uncertain and is likely to depend on whether Spurs can secure safety.
The 30-year-old Portuguese midfielder moved from Fulham to Bayern Munich in 2024 for €51 million at the request of then-manager Thomas Tuchel. The problem: by the time he arrived, Tuchel had already left. Under Vincent Kompany, Palhinha played only a minor role, so he returned to London on loan after one season. Spurs paid a loan fee of €5 million and secured an option to buy for €25 million.
The start of the season went well: until November, Palhinha was a regular starter and even scored points regularly, with Tottenham competing at the top of the Premier League and Champions League. However, following the dramatic slump, Palhinha lost his place in the starting line-up and became a rotation player. He last started on 5 March, and even against Wolves he was only brought on as a substitute.
“Of course, it’s a difficult situation at his club at the moment. But João is a fighter,” Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund said last week. With the club’s league status for next season still unclear, Freund added that it was “difficult to say anything concrete about his future”, although Tottenham “already know what they have in him”.
As Sky reported on Thursday, Spurs could indeed envisage a permanent move, but would want to renegotiate the €25 million buy-back clause – a proposal Bayern Munich might well agree to. From Palhinha’s perspective, however, this scenario seems realistic only if Tottenham avoid relegation – something the Munich bosses are now likely to be fervently hoping for. Palhinha’s contract with Bayern Munich runs until 2028. His reported salary of ten million euros is set to be cut, as he no longer has any real prospects in Munich.
In defensive midfield, Kompany plans to stick with Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic, while Tom Bischof and Noel Aseko, both returning from loan, could step in as cover. Recurring rumours also link the club to 16-year-old Hertha BSC prospect Kennet Eichhorn.
Incidentally, Tottenham signed a former FC Bayern loanee on a permanent basis last summer, even though he hadn’t entirely convinced them. After a mixed second half of the season, Mathys Tel moved to Spurs for 35 million euros – but things didn’t improve after that. This season, Tel has scored just three goals in 34 appearances.