Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the signing of Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich, subject to international clearance and work permit.
Spurs have now signed two players from Bayern in the same transfer window, after adding Mathys Tel on a permanent deal.
The north London club will have the option to make the transfer permanent for £25.9m at the end of the campaign.
North London rivals Arsenal also reportedly made an approach to sign Palhinha in the summer, but the move did not materialise.
Palhinha sends message to Bayern fans
The Portuguese defensive midfielder joined Bayern on a big-money deal from Fulham last summer, but the move did not work out well for him.
He struggled to make a positive impact under Vincent Kompany and did not get enough opportunities to impress during the Club World Cup either.
It became clear that Palhinha was not a key part of Kompany’s long-term plans, although the player wanted to fight for his place.
The midfielder was behind Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Konrad Laimer in the pecking order, and a move away from the Allianz Arena would help him revitalise his career.
Tottenham will pay Palhinha’s salary next season, which works out well for Bayern.
Palhinha has sent a brilliant message to Bayern fans on Instagram. He wrote: “I wish to the all Bayern family the success for the upcoming season! Thank You, Mia San Mia.”
Good move for Palhinha
The former Sporting CP midfielder was a huge success at Fulham, and his previous Premier League experience will come as a major boost for Thomas Frank.
Palhinha can expect to play regularly, but he will still have to fight for his place, with Rodrigo Bentancur, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, and Pape Matar Sarr being other midfielders available to Frank.
His potential arrival could impact Yves Bissouma, who has so far failed to impress on a consistent basis.
Bayern will hope that Palhinha’s loan move turns into a success, so that Tottenham can sign him next season permanently.
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