Micah Richards and Gary Lineker have both reacted to Tottenham’s signing of Joao Palhinha, with the pundits explaining why they think it is a great deal for the Lilywhites.
Palhinha has joined Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy for €30m (£26m), with the 30-year-old set to shore up Thomas Frank’s midfield.
The Portuguese international’s arrival means that the Lilywhites have finally managed to plug a position which was widely identified as a weakness in their squad.
As Spurs Web previously relayed, Tottenham expect Palhinha to be a regular in their starting eleven despite signing the 30-year-old on loan.
Michal Richards and Gary Lineker impressed with Tottenham’s Joao Palhinha signing
The hard-tackling midfielder is, of course, no stranger to Premier League fans, with Palhinha outperforming everyone in ball recoveries during his two years in Fulham.
Tottenham are getting the player just a year after Bayern paid £47m to sign him from Craven Cottage, and both Lineker and Richards are extremely impressed with the deal.
Blow is a transcript of the conversation they had about Tottenham’s summer business on The Rest Is Football podcast:
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Lineker: “Interesting start to the season in terms of who they’ve bought and even in their pre-season friendlies, Spurs. Just hearing that Palhinha’s loan move has been confirmed.”
Richards: “What a signing.”
Lineker: “Really solid Premier League player, really good. So an impressive start, I think, for Thomas Frank. Beat Arsenal, of course, I know these pre-season friendlies mean absolutely nothing, but it’s still good for your confidence.
“Kudus has come, Kevin Danso, Mathys Tel as well — he was on loan last season, of course, they’ve taken that option to buy. So, you know, good business for Thomas Frank.”
Why the Palhinha deal is a huge coup for Spurs
The fact that Spurs signed the 30-year-old on an initial loan deal means that there is very little risk involved.
According to reports, Tottenham opted for a loan deal for Palhinha to have more flexibility to spend funds elsewhere.