This window has been like pulling teeth when it comes to getting signatures over the line. The Morgan Gibbs-White hoax didn’t serve anyone well, beyond Gibbs-White securing himself another year at Nottingham Forest. What’s another year?
As we reported earlier today, football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano called this deal first, and told us that this was a done deal before anyone else. Fair play to him, yet again, for that.
Fabrizio Romano broke the news first
🚨⚪️ João Palhinha has completed his medical as new Tottenham player. 🇵🇹
Formal steps to follow between clubs after deal agreed on loan with salary covered by #THFC… and €30m buy option clause, not mandatory. pic.twitter.com/eySIuecJgv
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 1, 2025
Now, it emerges that only the disciples of the club website are waiting for confirmation of another transfer deal to aid Thomas Frank‘s first season, of hopefully many, in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Palhinha, who is 30, signed for Bayern from Fulham in a deal worth €51m last summer, but made just 25 appearances in his debut season, of which just 10 were starts.
Now, the Portuguese is being offered on a non-mandatory basis, at a knock-down price of €30 million.
Will João Palhinha improve Tottenham?
Of course, he will. And with Thomas Frank playing proper football, Joao will undoubtedly add some much-needed beef to the side.
Under Vincent Kompany, other midfielders were preferred, such as Joshua Kimmich (30), Leon Goretzka (30), Aleksandar Pavlović (21) and Konrad Laimer (28) over Palhinha during the 2024-25 season.
So only one midfielder, whom Kompany rated higher, was notably younger.
One has to wish the lad well, but I am struggling to envisage Daniel handing over dead money for a player who is 30 next month.
