Thomas Frank is in the midst of a big summerplaceholder image
Thomas Frank is in the midst of a big summer | Getty Images
Tottenham should move quickly to wrap up a midfielder with Premier League experience.
Tottenham must move quickly to get a deal done for a holding midfielder they should be seriously considering this summer. Thomas Frank faces a big summer as he looks to prepare his new side for his first season in charge.
A big job awaits Frank, with Spurs having had a disastrous Premier League campaign last term, requiring a big turnaround this season. Tottenham must get their recruitment right this summer, and they have already made a good start with a big-money deal for Mohammed Kudus, while they are attempting another statement signing in Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.
Other new recruits are also likely, and Tottenham need a holding midfielder after failing to get the best out of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr last season. A few players have been linked, but perhaps the most sensible option is Bayern Munich’s holding midfielder Joao Palhinha. The former Fulham star has already proven himself in the Premier League, and he could push for a move this summer having struggled for game time since moving to Bayern Munich on a deal worth around £44million.
The 30-year-old only made 17 league appearances for Bayern last season, and given his age, he will surely want to be playing more regular football than that, even if he did win the Bundesliga title last season.
Interestingly, Bild have reported that Arsenal held serious conversations with Bayern over Palhinha before the FIFA Club World Cup as they looked to replace Thomas Partey and Jorginho, and conversations are even said to have involved figures.
Arsenal ultimately moved on, signing Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard, but it shows the level of club Palhinha is attracting this summer. That should spring Tottenham into action as they look to get a deal done for a holding midfielder this summer, and on an affordable fee.
Palhinha is proven at this level and he has already lived in London previously. Fulham boss Marco Silva once said of Palhinha’s ability: “He leads through his attitude, he's not the most vocal guy and he's improving his English as well. I want him to be more vocal and in that position it's important. His attitude, his commitment, the way he leads the others around are things that are hard to find in football.
"In moments (when) we lose the ball, his reaction is impressive and we want to take the best from him and in other moments we want him to keep improving. We won the ball in a high area and our players took the right decisions. Then, the finish from Joao was great."
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany has said of the midfielder: “I can just name it easily because it’s very obvious to see his biggest quality – it’s defensively how he reads the game and the amount of balls he can recover. He’s a player who has the qualities on the ball to be a Bayern Munich player.”
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