Joao Palhinha joined Tottenham on loan during the summer transfer window, and he has impressed with his performance so far.
He has added more defensive steel and physicality to the midfield. The Portuguese International has scored some important goals as well. However, Tottenham have struggled when it comes to driving the team forward from the middle. They are lacking progressive passers in the middle of the park.
Jamie Carragher on Joao Palhinha
Former Premier League defender Jamie Carragher has now explained that Palhinha is a good player, but he is not capable of producing line-breaking passes from the deep, and that is the reason why top teams in the Premier League did not want to sign him. He also added that it is one of the reasons why Bayern Munich did not play him too often.
The former Liverpool defender believes that Palhinha is lacking in adventure and vision. It will be interesting to see if Tottenham can bring in a central midfielder to support him in that area of the game. There is no doubt that Tottenham need a midfielder who can break the lines with his passing.
Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports Monday Night Football: “That’s the problem, and for me, for Thomas Frank, that’s something he has got to grow; he’s early in it, and one of his first signings is Palhinha.
“Now, he is not capable, I don’t think, of doing this. There is a reason why teams in the Premier League didn’t buy him from Fulham, and there’s a reason why Bayern Munich bought him and didn’t play him. That’s a worry.
“But for Thomas Frank moving forward, you think of pragmatic managers in the past, they’ve made that jump from a smaller club to a bigger club. That has always been the problem: Can they coach the rotations, the build-up play to break the lines?”.
Palhinha has started well
Meanwhile, Palhinha has other strengths, and there is no doubt that he has been a successful signing for Tottenham so far. He will look to build on his impressive start to life at the London club and establish himself as an indispensable asset for them.