One of Tottenham’s players has been discussing his improved form.
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New Tottenham midfielder Joao Palhinha has been speaking about his tough transition at Bayern Munich and his new opportunity at Spurs. Palhinha joined Bayern Munich on a big-money deal from Fulham but saw little game time in Bavaria during a title-winning season, making 17 league appearances.
That led to a move to Tottenham this summer, with Palhinha joining on a loan move that sees Spurs also possess an option to buy. The midfielder has already made an impact, slotting in nicely alongside either Rodrigo Bentancur or Pape Matar Sarr.
And as he begins to feel comfortable in his new role, Palhinha has reflected on his spell at Bayern that saw him win a league title but spend far more time than he would have hoped on the bench.
“I was out of action longer than expected,” Palhinha told reporters during international duty. “After that, I didn’t get the chances at Bayern that – in my opinion – I deserved. That ended up affecting my minutes with the national team. I think it’s always easier when one is playing regularly for one’s club to get the same amount of minutes at a national team level.
“But these are phases. Our careers live in phases. Now I’m going through a happy phase in my life. A new club, a new project, in a league that isn’t new to me and that I’m enjoying again.”
He added: “At Tottenham, I had chances that I didn’t have before. I have full trust in the people who wanted me at the club — in this case, the coach. When we feel that confidence and that we are needed somewhere, then, in my opinion, we should be there. That decision was very easy for me.
“These opportunities give me a chance to show what I can do again. I’m really excited about this new challenge and I just want to enjoy the Premier League to the fullest.”
Frank’s praise for Palhinha
The midfielder actually slotted in at the back for a game in September, and he has done it since, too. Praising his versatility, Frank said after that game: “Joao’s been very good for us since he joined. He slotted into that centre-back role, played very well and scored a goal. I’m very pleased.”
Speaking about his midfield balance after the draw with Brighton recently, Frank said: “We would like to create a bit more, yes but actually after I took Rodri out, you could say it didn’t work because we lost the structure, so who knows? One thing is for sure, we need to do a little bit better in the second half.
“Of course I try to look into what is the best midfield. I think it is fair to say both Rodri and Joao have been very good for us so far this season and Lucas (Bergvall) has been fantastic, so you like to keep your players a little bit in flow.”