Thomas Frank is two days away from discovering transfer solution to troublesome Tottenham problem

Tottenham's long-standing issue at the base of their midfield could now be a thing of the past. Dearly lacking a player to sit in front of the backline, provide a protective shield and win the ball, Thomas Frank's team may have solved the problem with a very shrewd move in the transfer market.

Sunday evening saw the club confirm the signing of Joao Palhinha on a season-long loan deal from Bayern Munich. Tottenham also have the option in their agreement with the German club to sign him on a permanent basis next summer if they so wish.

The loan deal for Palhinha is a move away from Tottenham's usual transfer strategy considering his age, but it could prove to be an outstanding piece of business if he can replicate the form he displayed in his two years with Fulham. The holding midfielder earned rave reviews at Craven Cottage with his performances in the middle of the park and it's not hard to see why when you take a look at his numbers (via PremierLeague.com).

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In his first season in west London, Palhinha made a total of 148 tackles, 48 more than any other player in the top flight, and he competed in the second-most duels (487), winning 59.1% of them. He also won 64.3% of his 112 aerial duels.

In the 2023/24 campaign, Palhinha made 152 tackles and that saw him top the charts once again in England's top flight. Across those two seasons combined, Palhinha made 300 tackles and the player closest to him on the list was Moises Caicedo on 191.

Speaking in his first interview as a Tottenham player, the ex-Sporting CP man outlined what he will bring to the team and his love for a tackle. "I think my type of game, it belongs to the Premier League," outlined Palhinha to Tottenham's official website.

"I've always said that I really enjoyed the two seasons that I had at Fulham, it was a dream come true and probably one of the best memories I have in my football career belonged to the Premier League. I really enjoyed playing against top teams, also against Tottenham in that moment and now I can be part of this, such a great club.

"I'm a player with a lot of hunger to win tackles, as you know. It's one of my main focuses in the game, to try to help my team-mates without the ball to recover as soon as possible and of course when we have the ball, try to play simple, to try to give the team the best options. If I need to choose a word to describe me, it’s going to be a 'hungry' player for sure."

He added: "The crowd motivates me as well. I think the moment, in my case, when I make a tackle and I feel the crowd pushing me, I don't have words for this because it's what gives me a lot of power and it’s really special here in the Premier League from the crowds. I just want to experience in our stadium the people pushing me and my team-mates in each tackle we make."

The addition of a top quality No.6 in Palhinha could potentially make all the difference to the Tottenham team and elevate them to the very next level. Yves Bissouma has not proved to be the answer there and Rodrigo Bentancur is better when he has a license to move upfield as was the case in Antonio Conte's team when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg would be the player sat deepest.

Johnny Cardoso appeared that he may be the long-term solution to the issue due to the agreement Tottenham struck with Real Betis 12 months ago in the deal that involved Giovani Lo Celso returning to his former club. However, Cardoso instead headed for Atletico Madrid this summer after excelling for Betis as a No.6.

Palhinha's ability to take on the role and immediately solve it for Tottenham could be there for all to see on Thursday evening if he is to make his Spurs bow against parent club Bayern Munich in the friendly between the sides at the Allianz Arena. If not, it may be in Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup final if he is handed a starting spot in the team's showdown against Paris Saint-Germain in Udine, Italy.

Palhinha looks to be a terrific piece of business by the football club and it could well prove to be a gamechanger if he can replicate what he did at Fulham in a Spurs shirt.