DEADLINE: TOTTENHAM FACE £27M PALHINHA DECISION AS JANUARY MIDFIELD HUNT INTENSIFIES RIGHT NOW
Joao Palhinha pleads for a permanent Tottenham stay, but Thomas Frank’s midfield "identity crisis" leaves the £27m deal in doubt.
TEAMtalk reports that Tottenham Hotspur hasn't decided if Joao Palhinha's deal will become permanent in 2026, but the player has told the club he wants to stay.
The 30-year-old joined Spurs on loan from Bayern Munich this past summer and quickly impressed fans with his showing in the 2-0 victory over Manchester City.
It's not clear if Palhinha fits into Thomas Frank's future plans, as his team is struggling to find its identity. Frank's view of Palhinha will be key in deciding if he stays.
Tottenham has an agreement with Bayern for around £27 million. However, Palhinha's wages would make him one of the club's highest-paid players.
Palhinha's representatives have spoken with Tottenham, making it clear that the former Fulham player is happy to be back in London and wants to stay.
Even though Palhinha wouldn't be a huge expense, the club hasn't made a decision.
They don't want to block opportunities for young players like Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray. They are also looking at another midfielder in January.
If Spurs add to their midfield after giving Rodrigo Bentancur a new contract in October, Palhinha's future will be uncertain.
Frank's issue is that the Bentancur-Palhinha midfield combo hasn't worked well this season. They are too defensive and not energetic enough for that area of the field.
That's why the Portugal international has been on the bench recently, with Bentancur playing alongside Gray, Bergvall, or Sarr, who is at AFCON.
Frank's preference for Bentancur, who hasn't returned to his pre-ACL injury form from February 2023, contributes to Palhinha's limited playing time.
So, it makes sense why a change might happen, even if the player wants to remain in north London.
More Tottenham news: Seven attacking targets revealed; Conor Gallagher move latest
Tottenham believes that the output of three key forwards will improve if they sign a creative player in January. Sources say they are watching seven targets, including Yan Diomande.
Also, Conor Gallagher's loan move depends on how much Atletico Madrid will pay towards his salary. Manchester United and Tottenham are linked to the former Chelsea midfielder.
Lastly, Said El Mala's agent gave an update on the FC Koln attacker's future, with Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal interested.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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