João Palhinha said he’s “really motivated for the next steps” as he savoured the early hours of his Spurs career.
The tough-tackling midfielder arrived on loan from Bundesliga champions FC Bayern on Sunday, returning to the Premier League 12 months after a highly-impressive two-year stint at Fulham.
Upon touching down once again in the English capital, he spoke of his joy at becoming a Spurs player and quickly cast his mind towards the future.
“I’m really, really happy,” he beamed. “It’s such an amazing feeling that I had when I arrived here at the training ground and I’m really motivated for the next steps, so I just want to enjoy it with my team-mates, start to work with the coach and start to win matches with this club.
“It’s an amazing feeling to return to the Premier League and to return to London as well. I really loved to live here before and I’m so happy to be here again and to enjoy the Premier League because in my opinion – as I’ve always said – it’s the best league in the world. It’s what me and my family wanted at this moment and I’m really happy for this.”
A dominant force in the centre of the pitch, João arrives with a wealth of accolades under his belt. He won the Taça da Liga in his early days at Braga, tasted glory in the 2020/21 Primeira Liga with Sporting Lisbon, lifted two more Taça da Liga titles and the Supertaça with them, then won the Bundesliga at Bayern last season. Over the summer, he was part of the Portugal national side that secured the UEFA Nations League title.
Fulham’s Player of the Season in 2022/23, he made 79 appearances, scored eight goals and made more tackles than any other player in the Premier League during his two years at Craven Cottage.
“I think my type of game, it belongs to the Premier League,” said the 30-year-old, discussing what he hopes to bring to our team on the pitch. “I’ve always said that I really enjoyed the two seasons that I had at Fulham, it was a dream come true and probably one of the best memories I have in my football career belonged to the Premier League. I really enjoyed playing against top teams, also against Tottenham in that moment and now I can be part of this, such a great club.
“I’m a player with a lot of hunger to win tackles, as you know. It’s one of my main focuses in the game, to try to help my team-mates without the ball to recover as soon as possible and of course when we have the ball, try to play simple, to try to give the team the best options. If I need to choose a word to describe me, it’s going to be a “hungry” player for sure.”
João added that he can’t wait to meet his new team-mates upon the squad’s return from pre-season tour and says he’s excited to bring his combative style to our fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“Of course, I have a few players who I’ve played with before – Mathys Tel, Pedro Porro – and other players I have played against in the Premier League. Probably some of them will not have such good memories of me on the pitch! We had some duels together but I’m just really happy to be here and meet my new team-mates,” he smiled.
“Personally, I just want to play, to show again what I am capable of doing here in the Premier League and at this top club. As a collective, as a team, I just want to try to win titles. I think that we have all the potential here to do something really special. Of course, it’s not easy, we all know that this is the most competitive league in the world but with all the potential that we have in the team, I’m really motivated to try to achieve some really good things for this club.
“The crowd motivates me as well. I think the moment, in my case, when I make a tackle and I feel the crowd pushing me, I don’t have words for this because it’s what gives me a lot of power and it’s really special here in the Premier League from the crowds. I just want to experience in our stadium the people pushing me and my team-mates in each tackle we make.”
Watch | João Palhinha discusses his arrival at Spurs