Tim Sherwood has already warned Tottenham about Joao Palhinha problem despite praising £47m Spurs target

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Tottenham are looking to sign a standout central midfielder this summer.

One of the most exciting attackers in the Premier League has been signed in Mohammed Kudus, and TBR Football understand Joao Palhinha has now agreed to join Tottenham as Thomas Frank aims to bolster his midfield department too.

The Portugal international is set to leave Bayern Munich after making just six Bundesliga starts last season, following a £47m move from Fulham in July 2024.

However, Tim Sherwood has already warned Tottenham about “problems” surrounding Joao Palhinha.

Tim Sherwood rates Joao Palhinha highly, but feels he has “disciplinary problems”

Sherwood has previously hailed Palhinha, but feels the man born in Lisbon can be a bit of a hot-head.

The man who made 117 appearances for Tottenham as a player – and also oversaw 28 Spurs games as manager – told talkSPORT back in February 2024: “I like him. This guy will kick his family members (to get a result). He gets loads of cards, he’s got disciplinary problems.

“He’s got energy, he runs around. He’s like two bodies in the middle of the pitch. He anticipates where the ball is going to go, he’s got a decent range of passing, pops up with a goal, heads balls out of the box. He does the scruffy stuff that you need team members to do.

“I think Palhinha is a top-drawer player.”

The Bayern Munich No.16 picked up 13 yellow cards in 33 Premier League appearances during his final season at Fulham, averaging 1.6 fouls per game – but also a whopping 4.6 tackles every 90 minutes.

Joao Palhinha is exactly what Thomas Frank needs – Tottenham sorely miss the presence of Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama

Tottenham enjoyed a strong period under Mauricio Pochettino when they had two midfielders similar to Palhinha at the base of midfield in Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama.

Spurs even came close to winning the Premier League title in 2016 with the duo dominating opponents in midfield, and they helped lay a foundation for Tottenham to reach the UEFA Champions League final in 2019.

However, under the likes of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou, the midfield has distinctly lacked a formidable ball-winner like Palhinha, Dembele or Wanyama, making Tottenham fairly easy to play through in the centre.

For example, the trio of Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr – who started against Manchester United in the Europa League final last season – are all talented players, but are not known to be disciplined holding midfielders who do the dirty work for others to drive forward.

Therefore, Palhinha could provide the foundation for Tottenham to attack at will under Frank, if this move does materialise.