The Premier League’s ball-recovery king wants to zoom out a little, even if the theme does not deviate too far from his stock in trade. This is the thing with João Palhinha, whether in matches or in life. The Tottenham midfielder fights back.
The statistics from his time at Fulham between 2022 and 2024 are telling. The 30-year-old made the most tackles in the league in each season, winning more than anyone else in the first and coming second on the list in season two – one behind Sheffield United’s Vinícius Souza.
It was a big part of the reason why Bayern Munich signed Palhinha for £42.3m in July 2024, having narrowly failed in a deadline-day move for him 12 months previously. If things did not work out at Bayern last season, an injury in November ruling him out for two and a half months, he has picked up where he left off on loan at Spurs. Before the weekend’s games, Palhinha was again the No 1 ranked player for tackles made and won.
The Portugal international has long used setbacks as fuel, beginning when he was rejected as a boy by Benfica and Belenenses. He did not make it to Sporting’s academy until the age of 17, and he was 25 when he established himself in their first team after a series of loans. The breakdown of the transfer to Bayern was one of the toughest moments and yet he kept on coming.
Palhinha is now looking at Sunday’s north London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and it says plenty about his club’s situation that he finds himself talking about giving a “good answer”. Because after a good start to the season under Thomas Frank, certainly in terms of results, it has become increasingly hard to ignore the undercurrent of frustration.
There is a precarious feel to Frank’s project. Is the glass half full or half empty? Look at the away form, which is the best in the division. The highlight was a stunning win at Manchester City in August. Spurs began the weekend in fifth place; nobody should forget how they finished last season in 17th. Meanwhile, they are unbeaten in four Champions League ties, two of them victories.
And yet the home form in the league has been dismal, the natives restless mainly because of a dearth of entertainment. The low point came in a defeat by Chelsea at the start of the month when the players were booed off while they were underwhelming in the draw against Manchester United last time out. Again, there were jeers. Would the vibes be different if the encouraging performances had been at home rather than away? Perhaps.
What is unmistakably true is that Spurs have been bad more often than good in the past 10 matches in all competitions and with the City game feeling like a long time ago, they are due something to pep them. How everyone at the club would love it to come at Arsenal, where they have not won in the league since 2010-11. Put that right and Frank’s tenure would have the ultimate ignition point.
“It’s like the environment is always different when you have these kind of games, especially this rivalry,” Palhinha says. “You live these moments in a different way. We need to respond really well after the last games. But football is momentum. I think it’s going to be the perfect test for us.
“It’s a similar feeling to when we played Paris Saint-Germain in the European Super Cup at the beginning of the season [when Spurs lost on penalties]. They had won the league, the Champions League, everything. When you have these teams that are on the top moment, the pressure is probably more on their side. And we know what we can do. Hopefully we can reach what we really want, which is the victory. We don’t want to draw.”
If Palhinha’s defensive contributions have been no surprise, then his goals have. He has chipped in with four, including the stoppage-time equaliser at home to Wolves at the end of September. He was on the scoresheet at City, as well. Only Micky van de Ven, with six, has more for Spurs this season.
Palhinha has nonetheless heard criticism, most searingly from Jamie Carragher after the Chelsea debacle, the Sky pundit accusing him of not being good enough to progress the ball. There has also been muttering from the Spurs support about Frank’s use of Palhinha alongside Rodrigo Bentancur in front of a back four. Does the partnership lack zip in possession?
“I saw it [the Carragher analysis] because some people sent it to me,” Palhinha says. “But what can I say? If he speaks bad things about [Cristiano] Ronaldo, he can speak about everyone. Some people need to speak about another to be on the screens on the TV. My life is not about that, definitely.
“It makes it a bit embarrassing seeing the ex-players speaking that way and they look sometimes like superstars on their past. He should have seen probably more games of me at Tottenham. I am doing a top season and the things that he says about me go to the back of my mind. I don’t care too much because we have a lot of people speaking about us and trying to drop us [down]. The way is how we react. The way I reacted after what he said was to score against Copenhagen [in the Champions League win three days later].”
Carragher’s comments miss the point about Palhinha because he is precisely what Spurs need: a pure No 6, a foundation stone, a leader. It is incumbent on Frank to find the right balance around him as Ruben Amorim did at Sporting. Amorim, who is now at United, first worked with Palhinha at Braga in 2019-20 when the latter was on loan; they won the Taca da Liga together. When Amorim went to Sporting and Palhinha returned there, they won the Portuguese league title and two more Taca da Liga trophies.
The No 6, which Palhinha wears at Spurs, is fundamental to him for emotional reasons. At each of his clubs, he has either had the No 6 or a six as part of his number. He was No 26 at Fulham; No 16 at Bayern. It is because of his maternal grandfather, João, to whom he was extremely close. João died when Palhinha was 16.
“He was born on 6 December and he left us on the sixth of a month – I don’t actually remember which one,” Palhinha says. “He was a man who made everything with his hands. At our family home, he made goals with fish nets and he did it to see my happiness; that of my brother and cousin, as well, because we played together.
“I don’t know if my mother gave me my name because of my grandfather. My father is João, too, and so of course I named my first son, João. He is three and my other son, Francisco, is 10 months. The memories of my grandfather are here and every time I reach something special in my career, I dedicate it to him and to my grandmother, who has also passed.”
Palhinha is asked whether he sees his future at Spurs because the fans are keen to know. “They should ask the owner or [the sporting directors] Fabio [Paratici] or Johan [Lange] … not myself,” he says. “Of course this is like a marriage. Both parts need to want [it]. I am really glad [to be] here. I feel the support from the supporters, as well, which is really special. We have until the end of the season. You know how it is in football.”
What truly stands out as Palhinha prepares for the derby are his comments about the Bayern move that fell apart. They reinforce everything.
“The reaction that I had is probably the same reaction I have on the pitch when a teammate loses the ball and I try to get it again,” he says. “In that moment, it was really tough for me to digest. But I like to think that everything that happens in our lives is because it needs to happen. If it doesn’t happen, it’s because it doesn’t need to happen. I kept focused and after one season, I had the opportunity again [to join Bayern].
“I need to give credit to myself because the second opportunity came because of my reaction. I think I can be an example for some kids as well on these moments because before I became a professional I was rejected by a few clubs. The thing that I am most proud of in my career is that my trajectory has been upwards. And it’s because I work. A lot. I reached Sporting, Fulham, Bayern and Tottenham because of my work. It was not because of other things in football that we see a lot.”
