JOÃO PALHINHA ADDS MUCH-NEEDED STEEL TO SPURS' MIDFIELD, BUT IS HIS PASSING TOO LIMITED?

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With Bayern Munich midfielder João Palhinha close to signing for Tottenham Hotspur on loan, we look at why Thomas Frank wants to bring him back to the Premier League.

FIRST NORTH LONDON DERBY OUTSIDE ENGLAND

The first ever north London derby played outside England took place on Thursday in Hong Kong, where Tottenham beat Arsenal 1-0. Although it was only a friendly, if such a thing exists between these two teams, it was notable not only as technically Thomas Frank's first NLD as Spurs manager.

Frank also faced a man who was his captain just a few weeks ago. Christian Nørgaard played 68 minutes for his new club Arsenal after being such an integral part of Frank's Brentford in recent years.

NØRGAARD'S LEGACY AT BRENTFORD

Only Bryan Mbeumo (11,218 minutes) played more minutes for Frank in the Premier League than Nørgaard (10,171). Nobody won possession as many times for Brentford last season as Nørgaard (193), while only center-back Nathan Collins (63.0%) won a higher percentage of aerial duels than his 61.9%.

It was therefore somewhat surprising that Spurs didn't try to sign Frank's compatriot, though perhaps Arsenal's allure would have been too much anyway. Besides, Frank inherited a talented midfield in Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Sarr, Yves Bissouma, Lucas Bergvall, and Archie Gray.

PALHINHA'S ARRIVAL

None of them necessarily look suited to playing the way Nørgaard did for the Dane's Brentford side, which may well be where João Palhinha comes in.

The Portuguese powerhouse is reportedly returning to England. The man who would tackle a double-decker bus if he thought there was a football on it is seemingly returning to the Premier League to join Spurs on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich.

DOMINANCE AT FULHAM

Palhinha made a name for himself in England with his dominant performances in Fulham's midfield across two seasons between 2022 and 2024, putting up tackle numbers that made people wonder if he was programmed to do anything else.

Premier League Statistics:

  • 2022-23: 148 tackles (48 more than anyone else)
  • 2023-24: 152 tackles (most in the league, record since N'Golo Kanté in 2015-16)
  • Won 59.1% of all duels in his first season
  • 64.3% success rate in aerial duels

With great tackling comes great responsibility. Palhinha had to manage his emotions due to his propensity for collecting yellow cards. He received the most yellow cards in the Premier League 2022-23 (14), equaling the record, and nearly reached the same number in 2023-24 (13). Remarkably, he was never sent off.

PROBLEMS AT BAYERN

His performances for Fulham earned him a move to Bayern for around £47 million. But by the time he finally got his dream switch to Bavaria, the coach who initially wanted him - Thomas Tuchel - had been dismissed and replaced by Vincent Kompany.

Things didn't work out as expected in Germany. He made only six starts in the Bundesliga last season and 17 league appearances overall.

QUESTIONS ABOUT PASSING

Perhaps the main problem for him in Bavaria is one of the same issues Spurs fans have been discussing: is Palhinha good enough in possession?

Passing Statistics from Bundesliga:

  • 92.9% pass completion rate overall
  • 98.4% accuracy in own half
  • 88.6% in opposition half
  • Only 82.2% in the final third

By comparison, none of Tottenham's midfielders recorded a Premier League passing accuracy above 90% last season.

PROGRESSIVE PASSES - KEY QUESTION

Only 2.7% of Palhinha's passes in the Bundesliga were progressive (15 of 551) - the smallest proportion among nominal midfielders who attempted at least 200 passes.

For comparison, Bentancur (4.0%), Sarr (3.3%), Bissouma (3.8%), and Bergvall (3.5%) all recorded proportionately more. Nørgaard had 100 progressive passes from 1,418 (7.1%), suggesting Palhinha may need to become more adventurous in his passing under Frank.

NO-LOSE TRANSFER

It seems like a no-lose deal for Spurs. They get a player with Premier League and Champions League experience who can help break up opposition play in a way few others can. That will likely come in handy against better opponents, having someone who can regularly disrupt opposition attacks and provide more protection to the defensive line.

João Palhinha looks like he's coming back to the Premier League, so you'd better get those shin pads on, lads.

Thanks: Stats Perform for data and photo

More information:24live.com

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