Tottenham Hotspur ended 17 years without silverware in May, defeating Manchester United to lift the Europa League. The cabinet has not only received a new ornament, but the road to next season’s Champions League has also been unlocked for the Lilywhites.
This wasn’t enough to save Ange Postecoglou, though. The Australian manager was dismissed weeks after his incredible triumph due to the wretched domestic campaign, finishing 17th in the Premier League.
Now, with Thomas Frank at the helm, Tottenham can begin anew, working from the foundations set by the craggy-faced Aussie and building a sustained period of success.
However, there’s no question that the pace has dropped in the market down N17. With pre-season underway, this is the perfect time for Daniel Levy to reel in a few impactful additions across the park.
And it seems to be the engine room that Tottenham desire an extra bit of quality.
Spurs in contact for new midfielder
Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White was Tottenham’s dream signing to strengthen the midfield this summer, although after accusations regarding an illegal approach by the Lilywhites, the Englishman has since quashed any speculation by penning a new deal at the City Ground.
With both Rodrigo Bentancur and the routinely under-fire Yves Bissouma potentially on the move this summer, however, a more defensive midfield addition could be the more necessary addition anyway.
Well, as Fabrizio Romano has confirmed, Tottenham have made an approach to Joao Palhinha’s camp, though Bayern Munich have not received official contacts at this stage. Bayern would be looking to bank at least £30m for the 30-year-old.
Though Spurs would rather an initial loan for the Portugal international, these recent advancements suggest there could be some leeway on Levy’s part.
Why Spurs want Joao Palhinha
It hasn’t worked out for Palhinha at Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich, who he joined from Fulham in a move worth an initial £42m.
Bayern, in any case, were getting their mitts on one of the Premier League’s most underrated stars, he who had played under the wing of Marco Silva for a number of years at Craven Cottage, making 79 appearances and scoring eight goals.
Widely regarded as one of the division’s most unrelenting ball winners, Palhinha had been described as a “defensive monster” by data analyst Marcus Bring and a “tackling machine” by Sky Sports’ Adam Bate.
This is evidenced through his data from the 2023/24 season, winning a shedload of tackles, far more than anyone else in the division.
1.
Joao Palhinha
Fulham
152
2.
Joao Gomes
Wolves
128
3.
Vinicius Souza
Sheffield Utd
125
4.
Emerson Palmieri
West Ham
106
5.
Tyrick Mitchell
Crystal Palace
105
This level of tackling intensity is something that Tottenham will need to add to their ranks if Frank is to achieve a level of unity and coherence that wasn’t quite there last year.
Someone like Bissouma has been supposed to perform that role at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but his rash temperament and inconsistencies on the field limited him to a minor role in Postecoglou’s plans.
The Telegraph claimed earlier this month that the 28-year-old is expected to leave London this summer, one year away from the expiration of his contract. Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce have engaged in talks as they weigh up an official bid.
Tottenham signed Bissouma from divisional rivals Brighton & Hove Albion for £35m in June 2022, and he’s since completed 100 games, scoring two goals, failing to register a single assist and picking up two red cards.
In Palhinha, Tottenham would sign themselves a far more composed and reliable man, whose impact in the Premier League at a lower level with Fulham speaks for itself.
And the Iberian star, even having lost his way somewhat in a Bavarian shirt, still ranked among the top 3% of central midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues last year for pass completion and the top 3% for tackles won per 90, as per FBref.
Bissouma is strong in the challenge, to be sure, but there’s little question that the Malian is error-riddled and unconvincing as a whole, having made six errors in the Premier League last season, as per Sofascore, in spite of only starting 16 times.
By contrast, Palhinha didn’t make a single error over the 2023/24 English league season, and just one last term in the Bundesliga.
There’s something to be said about Palhinha’s ball-playing skills. Though he’s crisp and calm, his progressive passing leaves something to be desired.
However, this is a foible that Frank could surely abide. After all, the Danish manager has used no player more across his managerial career than Christian Norgaard at Brentford, playing him 262 times. The Danish defensive midfielder has recently signed for Arsenal in a £15m package.
Norgaard is not a forward-thinking distributor, but his rooted defensive principles in the middle of the park worked a treat for Frank over so many years.
Palhinha could emulate this, maybe even taking a more complete and wider-ranging approach at Tottenham. With the likes of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski already residing within the Lilywhites ranks, it makes sense that such a profile should be signed.
Bissouma has played his part at Tottenham, and indeed leaves having won a trophy, but to keep him on the books after such unconvincing and irrational performances in recent years would be negligible.
Luckily, Spurs are forging ahead with plans for a new midfielder, and Palhinha could be the man for the job.
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