Tottenham insider John Wenham has dismissed the idea of a potentially heroic Spurs man returning in the summer, explaining why he “can’t see it.”
In the event either that Spurs survive relegation or they don’t, new signings will be required. They are two points away from safety at the moment, chasing West Ham, with both sides’ wins on Saturday meaning the gap remained the same as prior.
Tottenham were level with already-relegated West Ham heading into the final 10 minutes of regular time, before Joao Palhinha scored his fourth league goal for the season after coming off the bench.
The midfielder’s loan with Spurs expires in the summer, but there’s a £22million option to buy, and there’s been speculation of late that the club will decide to trigger that option.
Wenham, with connections to the club, doesn’t feel that’s likely, though.
He told Tottenham News: “I can’t see it as we’re building for hopefully a long-term future with [Roberto] De Zerbi and he is yet to pick him to start, whilst he’s selected all of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Conor Gallagher, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur.
“It seems surprising, and likely just agent or intermediary talk.”
Our friends at TEAMtalk reported in February that the departure of Thomas Frank as Tottenham manager had thrown Palhinha’s future up in the air.
With the man who signed him leaving, there was no guarantee that whoever came in after would have the same thoughts on the midfielder as Frank did.
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And the fact De Zerbi has not picked Palhinha to start yet suggests it is indeed unlikely for him to be signed permanently.
With that said, though, the Portuguese midfielder could end up being the hero for Tottenham this season.
The goal against Wolves, which earned a vital three points and ensured West Ham will not easily escape Spurs, is not the only time Palhinha has scored in an important game.
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He helped earn three points over title-chasing Manchester City very early on in the season, before he bagged a stoppage time winner in the first of the two meetings with Wolves.
Scoring late goals to change close games and earn vital points could be what helps Tottenham to survive this season, and Palhinha has cropped up with a few of them.
Whether Tottenham deem him worthy of being signed permanently if they do go on to stay up remains to be seen, as does his potential place as a starter under De Zerbi, following an important performance against Wolves.