Manchester United fans will be frustrated that Ruben Amorim and Christopher Vivell did not sign an international midfielder who eventually ended up at Tottenham Hotspur, according to a source, who has also claimed that the Spurs star is a better signing than Arsenal midfielder Christian Norgaard.
Both Man Utd and Tottenham were active in the summer transfer window and made important additions to their respective squads, as Ruben Amorim and Thomas Frank aim to have a successful season. Man Utd and Spurs are aiming to finish in the Premier League top four, with the north London outfit also keen on progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Senne Lammens and Diego Leon were the major signings that Man Utd made, while Tottenham reinforced their squad with the acquisitions of Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Randal Kolo Muani, Kota Takai and Joao Palhinho, while loan deals for Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso were also made permanent.
Palhinho was a smart signing for Tottenham, with the former Fulham midfielder arriving at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a loan deal from Bayern Munich.
The 30-year-old Portugal international defensive midfielder has made an instant impact at Tottenham, starting three of their four Premier League games already this season and scoring a goal.
Tottenham have the option to make Palhinha’s loan deal permanent for just £27million (€31m, $36.4m) which, according to TBR journalist Graeme Bailey, last season’s Europa League winners plan to take.
Bailey has also noted the frustration among the Man Utd fans for failing to land Palhinha.
Palhinha was linked with Man Utd in the summer transfer window, but manager Amorim and director of recruitment Vivell decided to focus on Carlos Baleba and then Adam Wharton instead, with neither player moving to Old Trafford in the end.
Trusted journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed on his YouTube channel on August 2: “I can give you one secret from Man United at the beginning of the window, end of May or the start of June.
“They considered the opportunity to go for Joao Palhinha, who is Portuguese like Ruben Amorim, who knows the player so well.
“Now Palhinha is going to Tottenham on a loan deal with a €30m buy option. Manchester United decided eventually to go for a different player. Less holding midfielder. Still defensive but more intensity. Let’s see what is going to happen.”
Bailey has now told TBR: “He’s exactly what they expected. When he left, he was already one of the Premier League’s best holding midfielders.
“Watching Palhinha play in that position probably frustrates Manchester United fans, knowing he was available and could have joined them.
“To make matters worse, he would have been exactly what United needed. But yes, he’s absolutely top class. I fully expect discussions about a permanent deal to begin in January once the transfer window opens.”
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Joao Palhinha better than Christian Norgaard
According to Bailey, Tottenham were ‘fortunate’ that Arsenal did not try to sign Palhinha in the summer transfer window, allowing Spurs manager Frank a relatively easy deal to complete.
Arsenal signed Christian Norgaard from Brentford instead, but Bailey believes that Palhinha is a better player.
Bailey added: “They may even try to finalise the permanent deal sooner. He’s very happy in London, and I don’t see him moving elsewhere.
“Tottenham are fortunate that there’s really no other club in London that could challenge them.
“We’ve seen players like Christian Norgaard move to Arsenal, but he’s on another level: an absolute top-class player, a Rolls-Royce of a footballer.
“From what I hear, he’s as good as they claim. He hasn’t had a holiday in Germany, but he also hasn’t put any unnecessary strain on himself there.
“Since returning, he hasn’t missed a beat. Tottenham are thrilled with him, they genuinely believe they have one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, and it seems they do.”
Former Tottenham scout, Bryan King, has also been impressed with Palhinha and believes that the Premier League club will try to make the loan deal permanent ‘as quickly as possible’.
King told Tottenham Hotspur News: “Palhinha is someone that they (Spurs) have to bring in permanently.
“He’s such a good player, and it’s been a great bit of business to bring him in on loan.
“When you get a loan player, it’s always a case of whether he will settle and fit into the system. Top players can handle these situations, and he certainly has.
“I would imagine that the £27m would be money well spent. I think they’ll try and get that deal done as quickly as possible, to then get another couple of seasons out of him.”
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