João Palhinha has had a tough period at Bayern Munich. Playing second fiddle to a midfielder that basically the entire fanbase wanted out of the club for a good few years and a coach seemingly too stubborn to give him a chance to shine were the two stumbling blocks at Bayern, so the 30-year-old Portuguese will ply his trade for the season at Tottenham Hotspur. Coach Thomas Frank is excited to play with him, just not in the way you just thought of right now.
”It was always his abilities, and if you look at the squad, I don’t think we have his ability or package as a clear number six with his profile”, Frank told Football London (via Hotspur HQ). Spurs’ other midfielders were either too young or not consistent enough, so the Danish tactician hoped that the former Fulham man would give them a boost especially in Europe.
Manchester United found no way through Tottenham’s midfield of Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Pape Matar Sarr during last season’s Europa League final, so it was thought that defensive stability in the middle was needed before anything.
This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show: