Micah Richards and Gary Lineker have both reacted to Tottenham’s signing of Joao Palhinha, with the pundits explaining why they think it is a great deal for the Lilywhites.
Palhinha has joined Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy for €30m (£26m), with the 30-year-old set to shore up Thomas Frank’s midfield.
The Portuguese international’s arrival means that the Lilywhites have finally managed to plug a position which was widely identified as a weakness in their squad.
As Spurs Web previously relayed, Tottenham expect Palhinha to be a regular in their starting eleven despite signing the 30-year-old on loan.
Michal Richards and Gary Lineker impressed with Tottenham’s Joao Palhinha signing
The hard-tackling midfielder is, of course, no stranger to Premier League fans, with Palhinha outperforming everyone in ball recoveries during his two years in Fulham.
Tottenham are getting the player just a year after Bayern paid £47m to sign him from Craven Cottage, and both Lineker and Richards are extremely impressed with the deal.
Blow is a transcript of the conversation they had about Tottenham’s summer business on The Rest Is Football podcast:
Lineker: “Interesting start to the season in terms of who they’ve bought and even in their pre-season friendlies, Spurs. Just hearing that Palhinha’s loan move has been confirmed.”
Richards: “What a signing.”
Lineker: “Really solid Premier League player, really good. So an impressive start, I think, for Thomas Frank. Beat Arsenal, of course, I know these pre-season friendlies mean absolutely nothing, but it’s still good for your confidence.
“Kudus has come, Kevin Danso, Mathys Tel as well — he was on loan last season, of course, they’ve taken that option to buy. So, you know, good business for Thomas Frank.”
Why the Palhinha deal is a huge coup for Spurs
The fact that Spurs signed the 30-year-old on an initial loan deal means that there is very little risk involved.
According to reports, Tottenham opted for a loan deal for Palhinha to have more flexibility to spend funds elsewhere.
However, the signing is expensive in one respect for the Lilywhites, with Palhinha set to be one of Tottenham’s highest earners over the next 12 months.
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