Joao Palhinha hits new heights at Tottenham as superb stat emerges under Thomas Frank
Joao Palhinha has certainly made his mark on Thomas Frank’s Tottenham side this season.
The tough-tackling midfielder has stamped his authority on the heart of the midfield, having started nine of Tottenham‘s 10 Premier League matches.
Palhinha’s performance against Man City was excellent earlier in the season, and Thomas Frank has clearly gotten the best out of him since arriving from Bayern Munich on loan.
It’s clear that he has played a massive role in Tottenham’s season so far, and he currently tops a Premier League metric that will have fans purring.
Joao Palhinha tops tackling stat with ease in the Premier League
Palhinha joined Spurs on a loan deal from Bayern Munich, which included an option to buy the midfielder for £26million.
Since his emergence at Sporting during the early part of his career, Palhinha has always been known as a midfielder who is aggressive and tenacious.
Palhinha has made 44 tackles in the Premier League for Tottenham, 12 more than any other player in the top flight this season.
The Portuguese midfielder has also won 62.7 per cent of his ground duels and 57.1 per cent of his aerial battles.
Having registered three goal contributions from his deep position in the team, his numbers are hugely impressive in both boxes.
Palhinha has been a standout for Tottenham, and he is now undoubtedly one of the first names on the team sheet.
He is the classic profile of a player that typifies what a Frank team is all about: dogged, determined, and unrelenting, as he continues to hit new heights.
Frank experienced the same type of joy with Christian Norgaard at Brentford, and his new ball-winning midfielder will play a vital role in helping the Lilywhites achieve his aims.
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Joao Palhinha has proven himself to be a great bit of business
Whilst Mohammed Kudus has been the more impressive summer signing, Palhinha is going completely under the radar.
It’s clear that there are weaknesses in his game on the ball after not impressing at Bayern under Vincent Kompany.
However, Frank is desperate for a midfielder who can break up play efficiently, and in Palhinha, he has one of the very best in the world who can release those around him.
Improvements need to be made throughout the team, yet Palhinha’s influence is one of the few pieces of the puzzle that must remain in place.
With Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison still to return, they also could reach new heights when having the safety net of Palhinha behind them.
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