Tottenham Hotspur have officially confirmed the signing of Joao Palhinha from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. The Portuguese midfielder has joined on an initial loan, however, various reports have stated that there is an option to buy.
Palhinha joins Kevin Danso, Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Kota Takai on the list of reinforcements added to Thomas Frank's squad so far this summer.
As has been the case with other signings made under Technical Director Johan Lange - appointed in November 2023 - the deal moved quickly. That is partly down to the fact that Spurs have developed a great relationship with the Bavarian club following moves which saw Harry Kane and Eric Dier move to Germany, and Tel arrive in North London in January, before making the loan move permanent earlier this summer.
Another factor is that the Dane likes to move in stealth mode. Rarely are transfers leaked to the media until they are at the very final stages, such as the Wilson Odobert move last summer, which saw the Frenchman officially announced just minutes after it was first leaked. Another case would be the proposed deal for Morgan Gibbs-White, which was nearly wrapped up within 24 hours before Evangelos Marinakis and Nottingham Forest foiled that by threatening legal action, creating a saga which lasted roughly two weeks before he signed a new contract with The Reds.
Career to date
The now 30-year-old came through the ranks at Portuguese side Sporting CP, although he didn't join their youth system until he was aged 17. It took five years for him to make his senior debut with Leões; however, it wouldn't be until 2020 that he finally made his mark.
He became an instrumental part of Ruben Amorim's side, anchoring the midfield in a side which became the first Sporting team to win a Portuguese top-flight title in a staggering 19 years. His excellent performances earned him a £20m move to the Premier League, as he joined Fulham.
Again, he stood out, this time under Marco Silva, and established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the division, which brought plenty of interest from top clubs around the world. Bayern Munich came swooping, but the deal collapsed after he had already undergone a medical, with The Cottagers unable to seal a replacement in time.
He signed a new contract, but his continued form meant that Die Roten came swooping a year later, and he eventually got his dream move to a UEFA Champions League club for a deal in the region of £47.5m.
Under Vincent Kompany, things were very different, and it's safe to say he struggled to fit in with the proposed playing style, leading to limited minutes, but he now has an opportunity under Thomas Frank to rediscover the form he showed during his previous spell in England, in a system which will suit his capabilities far better.
What will he offer?
Palhinha is a battling midfielder, he'll break up the play, destroy opposition attacks and help launch counter-attacks for his own side, whilst a yellow card is almost a guarantee too!
At Fulham, he consistently ranked amongst the Premier League's top players for tackles, interceptions, and duels won, making him the perfect stylistic fit for Tottenham, who have been crying out for a midfield destroyer for some time.
Cottagers captain Tom Cairney regarded him as 'one of the best players he has ever seen without the ball, in terms of getting back, recovering and trying to win the ball back.' Whilst it isn't abnormal for Palhinha to chip in with a goal or two either, as he is a dangerous threat from set-pieces - an area which Thomas Frank is trying to severely improve at The Lilywhites.
However, one thing that may prove to be an issue is his discipline. The Portuguese midfielder became just the third-ever Premier League player to be shown a measly THIRTEEN yellow cards in two separate seasons, meaning he may tend to miss a fair amount of games.
That isn't to say it is necessarily a bad thing, with his role often linked to moments of transition for the opposition, where the only choice may be to commit a 'tactical foul' to thwart an attack.
OPINION: It seems like a very shrewd piece of business from Tottenham. It is a low-risk, high-reward deal, with the option to buy rumoured to be around the £25m mark, but it also means Spurs can take a good look at him before rushing into a permanent move, whilst it may also offer the opportunity to find a long-term solution.