When the 2025/26 Premier League season first started, Tottenham Hotspur supporters were very excited about the loan signing of Joao Palhinha, and initial reports from even international transfer insiders like Fabrizio Romano were singing a very positive tune about the likelihood of Spurs activating his reasonable transfer clause from Bayern Munich for a permanent deal by the end of the season.
Tottenham were playing better football than in 2024/25 under Ange Postecoglou, and Palhinha looked like a big part of it. He was one of the top signings in the Premier League over the opening weeks of the campaign, snapping into tackles, winning the ball at a higher rate than nearly every other player in the Premier League, and actually looking like an attacking asset with some timely goals.
That honeymoon period, though, was brief, and because Palhinha is a likable guy and so good defensively, the crash out did not actually come. Instead, there has been a subtle realization over time that it is not just Rodrigo Bentancur who is a problem but Palhinha as well.
Joao Palhinha only does one thing
Palhinha's defensive prowess is still unmatchable and very appreciated by Spurs supporters, but even in the big wins for Tottenham like the 3-0 victory over Slavia Praha in the Champions League, the Portuguese international clearly looks several steps below the better midfielders at Tottenham Hotspur - and below the standard of what Spurs want from a midfield player.
The problem with Palhinha is that he offers nothing besides the ball winning, and the defensive benefit is not enough to shroud over the liability in everything else. He is not just poor in possession as a passer and dribbler, but he is poor off the ball out of possession in terms of his speed and movement. In possession, he struggles to make himself available and hamstrings the entire team because of his inability to progress the ball.
Palhinha is 30 years old with no future upside. Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, and Pape Matar Sarr, meanwhile, have all the upside in the world. Tottenham would have to pay Bayern to make a deal permanent, on top of what they are already paying for the loan, and watching how Gray moves the ball about or how dynamic Xavi Simons and Bergvall are in midfield while seeing Palhinha plod around slowly really shows you the difference in level and the difference in the kinds of players Tottenham need in the middle of the park.