What Palhinha would offer Tottenham

Tottenham are closing in on the loan signing of Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha. The destructive number six joined the German giants in a £42.3m deal last summer and called it "the happiest day of my life" – although the move has since soured due to injury and a lack of playing time. Palhinha has started just 10 games in all competitions for Bayern in the last year, prompting a potential move back to the Premier League where he excelled during his two seasons with Fulham between 2022 and 2024.

Joao Palhinha of Bayern Munich applauds the fans after the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern München at Red Bull Arena
[Getty Images]

Tottenham are closing in on the loan signing of Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha. The destructive number six joined the German giants in a £42.3m deal last summer and called it "the happiest day of my life" – although the move has since soured due to injury and a lack of playing time.

Palhinha has started just 10 games in all competitions for Bayern in the last year, prompting a potential move back to the Premier League where he excelled during his two seasons with Fulham between 2022 and 2024.

The 34-cap Portugal international proved to be a real bargain after swapping Sporting Lisbon for Craven Cottage for around £17m, comfortably topping the Premier League rankings for tackles with a total of 300 during his initial two-season stint – 109 more than any other player. He also ranked sixth for interceptions (92).

His combative style of play, however, does carry risks. The 30-year-old received 27 yellow cards across 2022-23 and 2023-24 – at least five more than anyone else.

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A graphic showing the Premier League's top tacklers across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. 
Player	             Tackles
Joao Palhinha	300
Moises Caicedo	191
Tyrick Mitchell	176
Casemiro	        171
Idrissa Gueye	170
[BBC]

Category: General Sports