Tottenham Hotspur defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha has been one of the most difficult players in the squad to figure out. When Spurs were actually winning games at the beginning of the season under Thomas Frank, which is so far removed from the past that it's almost hard to believe this was even the case at all, Palhinha looked like a lock to stay at Spurs permanently and have Johan Lange and Co. activated his 25-30 million euro buy clause from Bayern Munich to follow in the foot steps of the much younger Mathys Tel.
But as Tottenham fell off under Frank as the season went on in their descent towards the Premier League relegation fight, so, too, did Palhinha's play and influence. He was riding the bench and a big part of the problem when on the pitch, getting overruled in the midfield with sloppy positional errors and even worse passing as Spurs struggled to progress the ball or maintain any semblance of midfield quality and control even against the worst of opponents in the English Premiership.
Lately, though, Palhinha has been a man revived, and new Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has managed to have him join the crew of Conor Gallagher and Rodrigo Bentancur as veteran midfielders who have gone from major liabilities to players driving Spurs charge to safety in the relegation battle - and Tottenham are now just a point away from confirming their place in the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Joao Palhinha may not stay with Tottenham after all
While De Zerbi and Spurs are wanting Joao Palhinha to be more in than out, an old friend from the Portuguese top flight is complicating things by trying to bring the former Fulham star back to his home country.
According to reporting from George Lyall of Sky Sports and Portuguese outlets like A Bola, Sporting CP are very interested in poaching Palhinha from Bayern Munich under the noses of Tottenham and their option to buy cause. They are among a number of clubs reportedly interested in Palhinha and may even be negotiating currently to make a move this summer.
Obviously, the ball is in Tottenham's court. If they want him, he is theirs due to their clause, and they have the right of first refusal in that way. But it's also partialy in Palhinha's court. If Palhinha would rather move back to Portugal now that he is 30 and sees more playing time with Sporting, as well as actually having top European football with Spurs either finishing 17th or 18th this season, then they could tempt him. Sporting have now thrown another wrench in the discussions around N17 about keeping Palhinha.