TOPSHOT – Tottenham Hotspur’s Portugese midfielder #06 Joao Palhinha celebrates after scoring their fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Tottenham Hotspur and FC Copenhagen at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on November 4, 2025. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Only four players have played more Premier League minutes for Tottenham Hotspur this season than Joao Palhinha. The Portuguese international has instantly made himself a central pillar of Thomas Frank’s team since making the move to North London from Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window.
Palhinha has made an immediate impact. The former Fulham midfielder has given Spurs some much-needed steel on the defensive side of the ball. Had Tottenham had Palhinha last season, it surely would have finished higher than 17th in the Premier League table. His signing has been a good one.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank beofre the UEFA Champions League, league stage match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Picture date: Tuesday November 4, 2025. (Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
PA Images via Getty Images
And yet Palhinha has come to embody the fundamental weakness in the centre of the pitch for Frank’s team. For all that the 30-year-old is effective as a destroyer and disruptor, he lacks natural ability as a progressor of possession. This weakness is hindering Spurs in its matches this season.
The 2-2 draw against Manchester United before the November international break illustrated the issues Tottenham is suffering from. The North London outfit struggled to create anything of note in front of goal for the majority of the game. It was only when Frank made changes from the bench late on that the dynamic shifted.
Wilson Odobert gave Spurs a different dimension. His dribbling got Tottenham through the lines and into the final third. Until that point, though, the midfield pairing of Palhinha and Pape Sarr had been easy to front up against. When Manchester United went man for man in defence, Spurs had no alternative solution.
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 8: Xavi Simons of Tottenham Hotspur under pressure from Matthijis de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Casemiro of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 8, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Xavi Simons was signed from RB Leipzig to be a natural creator for Tottenham, but the Dutch international is still acclimatising to his new surroundings in the Premier League. Frank also hasn’t been helped by the long-term injuries to Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison. Their invention would make Spurs a better side.
However, the bigger issue for Tottenham is that it currently lacks the supply line to progress the ball to a number 10 like Simons, Kulusevski or Maddison. Its attacking problems are deeper in the field and this leads to the argument that Spurs lack the midfield pairing to truly make an impression on the top end of the Premier League.
The January transfer window might offer an insight into Frank’s view of his midfield options. Tottenham could enter the market to find the sort of deep-lying pace-setter it currently lacks. With that player at the base of Frank’s midfield, Spurs could make genuine progress and climb even higher in the table.