There's a new enforcer in town, and we won't have to wait long for Joao Palhinha to make his Tottenham debut.
The loan signing of the 30-year-old was completed on Sunday, with Palhinha joining off the back of a quiet season at Bayern Munich after excelling during a two-year spell at Fulham.
Thomas Frank has waxed lyrical over the experienced Portuguese international, whom he describes as a "top player". The manager is buzzing to have a proper No. 6 at his disposal, even if number-crunchers are concerned over his capacity to break lines.
Palhinha will team up with a Spurs squad that beat Arsenal and drew with Newcastle in the Far East, with two more high-profile fixtures on the horizon before the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season. The midfielder's debut is expected to arrive against a very familiar opponent.
Joao Palhinha 'keen' to make Tottenham debut vs Bayern Munich
🚨⚪️ BREAKING | Joao #Palhinha is a new player for Tottenham — and he’s already in London.
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 3, 2025
Everything is done and signed, and Palhinha is keen to feature for Tottenham in their friendly against FC Bayern on 7 August in Munich.
Tottenham have secured an option to buy next… pic.twitter.com/ujJ4nA4iuO
Palhinha is poised to face his parent club Bayern Munich when the Lilywhites travel to Bavaria later this week. Spurs take on the Bundesliga champions in a friendly on Thursday evening, with kick off scheduled for 5.30 p.m. BST.
We're taking on Bayern for the second consecutive summer, with Harry Kane (and Eric Dier) returning to N17 for Die Roten in a 3-2 victory last August. While Dier has since joined Monaco, Kane remains at the forefront of Vincent Kompany's plans, unlike Palhinha, whom he never seemingly took to.
"Whatever the reason [Bayern let him go] maybe is the coach, the culture, the club, himself. Sometimes it is difficult to say," Frank told Football London after the midfielder's arrival was confirmed.
Bayern had worked tirelessly to sign Palhinha from Fulham, initially failing while Thomas Tuchel was at the helm in 2023. Had Tuchel remained in Munich beyond the following summer, it likely would've worked out differently for the 30-year-old, who instead struggled to fit into Vincent Kompany's framework and played less than 1,000 minutes in all competitions last term.
It was a frustrating campaign for Palhinha, having secured his "dream" move, but he hasn't left Bayern laden with animosity. Still, he has the chance on Thursday to show off against his parent club ahead of the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain next week.
Coincidentally, it was against Spurs who Palhinha made his Bayern debut against last summer, albeit in a different friendly to the one already mentioned. Now, the new Tottenham man has the chance to impose himself from the get-go against the club that never quite took to him.