Tottenham may rue not signing Joao Palhinha last summer – TBR View

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Reports last summer claimed that Tottenham were poised to complete a cut-price deal to sign Joao Palhinha having previously been quoted a fee of £34 million for the midfielder.

Of course, those reports proved to be wide of the mark. Palhinha would spend one more year with Sporting before moving to the Premier League.

But it was not Tottenham who secured his signature in the last window. Instead, it was Fulham. And ultimately, they paid just £20 million for the Portuguese.

Obviously, the season is still in its infancy so it is hard to make too many strong judgements. And Tottenham have not exactly had a poor start to the campaign.

But surely, there are plenty of Spurs fans rueing the fact that they did not sign Palhinha when they had the chance.

The 27-year-old has been a revelation with Fulham. Marco Silva’s side sit sixth in the table, ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool. And Palhinha has been a key part of their success.

No player in the Premier League has won more tackles or made a greater number of successful pressures, according to FB Ref.

And of course, he has also chipped in with a couple of goals for the Cottagers.

Tottenham fans may rue missing out on Joao Palhinha

Spurs have hardly struggled in the middle of the park. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur have formed a brilliant partnership.

Yves Bissouma has barely been needed. And Oliver Skipp has featured even less.

But Palhinha’s early form suggests that Fulham will face a fight to keep him in the coming windows. And there may be some Tottenham fans wondering if he would be an upgrade on some of the options available to Antonio Conte.

Certainly, not signing him when he ultimately moved for £20 million will disappoint a section of the fanbase.