Tottenham's search for a new midfielder has seen them veer towards one of Europe's elite, with Bayern Munich's Joao Palhinha among the players we're reportedly considering to bolster Thomas Frank's engine room.
Now, had our interest emerged this time last summer (well, before he signed for Bayern on 11 July), it's hard to imagine anything but excitement for the Portuguese's potential arrival. However, a year in Germany has seen the experienced midfielder's stock take a considerable hit.
Palhinha was used sparingly after completing his dream move to Bavaria off the back of an excellent two-year spell with Fulham. His work at Craven Cottage means he's still held in a high regard by some, but those attuned to his struggles in Munich are less effusive about our supposed interest.
For me, it's a deal with distinct pros and cons, and I've ironed out a few of the most notable.
Pro #1: Spurs lack a destroyer
We currently have a large number of midfielders, but many share a similar profile. There are high-energy No. 8s in abundance, while Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are the primary playmakers.
Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur were most commonly used in the deepest midfield position by Ange Postecoglou last season, but the former was plagued by inconsistency, and the latter struggled until the former boss shifted to a double pivot. There's an obvious need for an alternate midfield profile, and Palhinha boasts some of what we require.
The Portuguese international is the epitome of a 'destroyer', a physical behemoth who sits at the base of midfield and relentlessly disrupts the opponent's rhythm by regaining possession of the ball. Palhinha topped the Premier League tackles charts during his final season at Fulham, and ranked in the 93rd percentile of all midfielders in Europe's top five leagues last term for tackles per 90 minutes (3.19). He tends to lunge and dive in a lot, but he has a knack for timing such challenges superbly.
While Palhinha is less proficient at picking passes off, which Bentancur is brilliant at, the Bayern midfielder is also a dominant force aerially. He won 2.34 aerial duels per 90 last season, which ranked in the top 4% of midfielders in Europe's top five leagues.
The 30-year-old's capacity to destroy, combined with his set-piece threat and willingness to dabble in sh*thousery, means you can rationalise Spurs' interest. Reportedly, we're only after a loan for 2025–26, and Palhinha, given his age, could function as no more than a stop-gap.
Con #1: Not the passer we need
I noted in a previous article that Palhinha is not the ideal midfield target due to his drawbacks as a passer. This Tottenham team is crying out for a classy distributor in the middle of the park.
With our current personnel, we're far too reliant on the centre-backs and goalkeeper (well, when Antonin Kinsky's playing) to get the ball upfield. We will quickly become predictable.
I don't think Palhinha is a poor technical footballer, but he's far from progressive. Even during a poor season at Bayern, he showed his capacity to be metronomic and perform efficiently over short distances. He finished the season averaging 74.36 passes attempted per 90, while boasting a pass completion rate of 92.4%. However, the Portuguese international merely ranked in the 51st percentile of midfielders in Europe's top five leagues with 4.68 progressive passes per 90. He also struggled to average a progressive carry every 180 minutes.
Palhinha's limited in possession, that's for sure. He can help entice a press by playing bounce passes to his centre-backs, but don't expect him to receive on the half turn, resist pressure and pick out one of Spurs' attackers in transition. That's not his game.
If we are to sign the 30-year-old this summer, another midfield profile must be brought in.
Pro #2: Player in his prime
We had the third-youngest squad in the Premier League last season, and our business this summer has continued to focus on youth. If you include loan signings that were made permanent, 26-year-old Kevin Danso has been our oldest arrival. The others, Mathys Tel, Kota Takai, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Vuskovic, boast an average age of 20.5.
Last season culminated in glory, but there was a sense throughout 2024/25 that this squad was simply too young. Ange's preferred starting XI (when the majority were fit and available) boasted the requisite experience, and the youthful exuberance off the bench offered a complementary balance.
However, I don't think adding a veteran to this midfield room will do any harm. There are guys in there, like Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, and Pape Matar Sarr, who could learn a lot from Palhinha. The 30-year-old has almost 350 senior appearances across an 11-year career, as well as 34 caps for his country.
The 30-year-old has reached his apex and is unlikely to improve from here on out, but, as I noted, Spurs could benefit from the final years of his best work.
Con #2: Could prevent pursuit of ideal profile
I said earlier that we'd probably need to sign one more in addition to Palhinha, given his drawbacks as a passer. However, there is talk of Spurs having to let someone go in order to bring a new signing in. Bissouma is the most likely to depart, although Bentancur has entered the final year of his contract.
I don't think replacing Bissouma and merely replacing him with Palhinha is a huge upgrade. The Bayern midfielder wouldn't cost all that much if we do negotiate a permanent transfer, but I fear that such a deal would prevent us from signing the passer we require this summer. A loan should open the door for another arrival.
Moreover, while the acquisition of Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton is unlikely before 2025/26, there doesn't seem to be a huge market for him right now, largely because of Palace's hefty valuation. However, if we sign a stop-gap with the view of potentially signing Wharton further down the line, we risk being usurped by competitors.
You can envisage Liverpool eventually making a move.