Tottenham move for Bayern Munich’s forgotten Premier League star in shock deal

The London side bring João Palhinha back to England on loan with an option to buy after his spell in Germany
CR Flamengo v FC Bayern München: Round Of 16 - FIFA Club World Cup 2025
CR Flamengo v FC Bayern München: Round Of 16 - FIFA Club World Cup 2025 | Richard Sellers/Allstar/GettyImages

Tottenham has made official the transfer of Portuguese midfielder João Palhinha from Bayern Munich through a season-long loan transfer deal. He reportedly agreed on a loan deal, which has seen Tottenham commit to pay the entire player salary, as well as including into it a buy option of €30 million upon expiration of the loan, according to football journalist Fabrizio Romano.

For Premier League fans, Palhinha must be a well-known player. He played at Fulham from 2022 to 2024 when he was especially noticeable for having a lot of tackles as well as keeping his ground well when it comes to duels. He played his early pro years at Sporting as well as at Braga before that.

Current profession

In 2024, Bayern Munich acquired Palhinha for €51 million. Last year, he played 25 games for the German side, including starting from nine games. He could never find a permanent starting spot but featured for the team that secured the Bundesliga title triumph. He has now moved to London just days before August 13 when they face PSG at the UEFA Super Cup.

Prior to his transfer into Germany, Palhinha had a glittering spell at Fulham. So good, that he topped Premier League leaderboards for tackles, as well as third overall for wins from one-on-one battles, in the 2023/24 season. That kind of form served to attract some of the biggest clubs.

He has defensive aggression, effective ball win-back, smooth passing, and perspicacious positioning, which rendered him invaluable at Fulham, but which are to be tested at Tottenham, which has yet to replace its center of the park for the remainder of the season.

Increase deal acquisition capabilities

The deal structure gives Tottenham time to assess his performances before permanently signing the deal. If they do exercise the clause, he'll set them back €30 million. It must, though, occur that Palhinha takes advantage of the situation to restore the influence that he had at the Premier League, holding his ground at a team that should be at the best of the table.