Tottenham fans will love Harry Kane’s prediction about Joao Palhinha this season

Spurs’ all-time top scorer and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has tipped his former team-mate Joao Palhinha to succeed at Tottenham despite a difficult first outing in Lilywhite.

Joao Palhinha completed a loan move from Bayern Munich to Tottenham for the 2025/26 season, giving Spurs something they’ve been crying out for: an experienced number six.

The former Fulham midfielder arrived in North London after a single, underwhelming campaign in the Bundesliga and was handed his debut against his former side in Munich last week.

The 30-year-old will want to quickly put that performance behind him. He conceded a penalty inside 15 minutes, which Harry Kane thankfully missed.

He won just one of his four duels, failed to make a single tackle, misplaced passes in dangerous areas, and completed none of his three attempted long balls. That should explain why Thomas Frank opted to take him off at half-time.

However, that showing isn’t a fair reflection of what Palhinha can offer Spurs. During his two seasons at Fulham, he racked up 300 tackles in the Premier League between 2022 and 2024. That was 109 more than any other player in that period.

Kane spent last season alongside him in Munich and saw firsthand what the Portuguese international can bring.

Harry Kane thinks Tottenham is a good place for Joao Palhinha

Following the 4-0 loss to Bayern, Harry Kane spoke exclusively to his former club and had only good things to say about the midfielder:

“He’s tough, he tackles hard, he’s good on the ball, he knows the Premier League well from his time at Fulham and he’s a guy that will give everything for you.”

Kane also admitted that Palhinha needs a bit more time, saying, “I know he’s going to a good place and he’ll hopefully get some more game time and show what he can do.”

Is Joao Palhinha’s disciplinary record a worry for Tottenham?

Like Kane said, Palhinha is tough and loves a tackle, but that also means not every challenge will land perfectly. In many ways, you could call him Cristian Romero in midfield. Players with his combative style always run the risk of accumulating cards and suspensions.

A big concern for Thomas Frank is that Palhinha has a history of picking up bookings, having been suspended for six matches during his Fulham spell due to yellow card accumulation.

The good news for Spurs is that the Portuguese rarely sees red. Stats show he’s been sent off just once in the past three seasons across Fulham and Bayern Munich.

So, while Spurs fans should expect him to be booked fairly regularly, he’s also good at avoiding a second booking and getting himself sent off.