Tottenham Transfer News – Joao Palhinha returns to Premier League of Bayern: what can he offer?

Tottenham has strengthened his midfield prior to his return to the Champions League by signing Portugal International Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich with an option to buy.

The defensive midfielder returns to London and the Premier League a year after leaving Fulham for a much hyped but largely failed move to Bayern. He has left for three years to his Bayern contract.

Bayern and Tottenham both confirmed the move on Sunday.

Palhinha offers a similar defensive midfield option such as Spurs’ Rodrigo Bentancur or Yves Bissouma.

The expectations of Palhinha in Bayern were high, but his time spent there had ended with the Portuguese midfielder who spent most of the club’s World Cup on the couch.

Palhinha was an important target for Bayern in 2023, when the then coach Thomas Tuchel wanted to strengthen Bayern’s midfield. Palhinha even came to Munich for a medical, but Bayern’s deal with Fulham collapsed at the last minute.

When Bayern finally signed Palhinha for a reported reimbursement of almost 50 million euros (then USD 54.2 million) a year later, Vincent Kompany was the new coach.

The Palhinha season was influenced by injuries or illness, but even when he was fit, Kompany preferred younger Aleksandar Pavlovic in midfield instead.

Palhinha started only 10 of the 25 games he played for Bayern in all competitions and was an unused replacement in four of Bayern’s five games at the Club World Cup.

It is the second time that this is out of the season that Tottenham has signed a player who was out of favor at Bayern after he had made Mathys Tel’s loin displacement permanent.