Bayern Munich loanee Joao Palhinha has already proved a hit under Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur.
Prior to Joao Palhinha’s arrival at Tottenham, Spurs were lacking a number six capable of emulating Christian Norgaard at Brentford, a pillar of Thomas Frank’s plans in west London.
And as expected, Palhinha and Frank’s football have proved a match made in heaven.
In fact, TBR Football recently revealed that Tottenham will open negotiations to sign Palhinha in January – they’re keen to keep the 30-year-old beyond his loan.
And after thriving with Fulham in the Premier League for several years, Palhinha has proved that he’s still capable of deciding games at the highest level.
Joao Palhinha explains why he loves working with Thomas Frank at Tottenham
That being said, Palhinha has now spoken about life under Frank on Sky Sports’ ‘One on One’ podcast.
Of course, Frank used to manage Palhinha’s rivals when he was playing for Fulham – the Portuguese midfielder has been more used to trying to get one over on the Dane.
But even when he was a rival, Palhinha could tell that Frank was an excellent man manager, someone who completely nails the personal aspect of coaching.
Speaking about Frank, Palhinha said: “For me, I followed Thomas at that time from outside because I didn’t know him. I never met him before. I just played against him when I was in Fulham.
“But when I was looking at him, he always looked like a coach with the right human [side].
“For me, now that I’m sharing the pitch, these moments with him, for sure, that is his best quality.
“Apart, of course, [from] the other tactical really good things that he has. But the main for me, and the most important thing in the coach, is to be a real human being, like to be a great person, I think is the main thing probably that coach needs to be, need to be the best quality and make easy for us to players to speak, not just with him, but each other, the environment inside of the club.
“I think it’s a really good thing that not just me, but also my teammates have felt since he arrived.”
Only Cristian Romero can get close to Joao Palhinha’s defensive numbers
As mentioned, Palhinha has enjoyed a very productive start in a Tottenham shirt.
And in terms of defensive actions so far this season in the Premier League, Palhinha is leading the way in almost every metric.
Cristian Romero is another player who’s already thriving under Frank as well, a player fans in N17 will be so happy to have committed long-term.
Romero’s new Tottenham contract followed a summer of noise about a move to Atletico Madrid, one that ultimately didn’t come to fruition.
There’s a new spine emerging in north London, and by most accounts, it’s looking more formidable than ever.