Palhinha wants Tottenham stay permanent after sealing Premier League survival

Joao Palhinha scored the 43rd-minute winner against Everton on Sunday to secure Tottenham’s Premier League survival, then made clear he wants his loan from Bayern Munich converted into a permanent deal.

“Who doesn’t want to play for Tottenham and stay here? I have everything here,” Palhinha said after the 1-0 win at Spurs’ north London ground. “What I can say to you is I would really like to be here and I enjoy it a lot this season with this club, even being a tough season.”

The Portugal international finished the campaign with seven goals, including the only strike in a crucial victory at Wolves last month. He split opinion among supporters during what he acknowledged was a difficult year for the club — losing his place in the side during a poor winter run before Igor Tudor redeployed him as part of a back three.

The turning point came with Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment at the end of March. Palhinha quickly established himself as a key figure under the Italian, contributing in wins over Wolves, Aston Villa, and finally Everton on the final day. De Zerbi said on Sunday he would “100 per cent” want to keep the midfielder, and Tottenham hold a £25.8m option to buy.

Palhinha’s season began promisingly — he scored in a 2-0 win at Manchester City — before Thomas Frank’s tactical approach at home contributed to a damaging run of results. The 31-year-old’s revival under De Zerbi ultimately proved decisive in keeping Spurs up.

“I think the next season will hopefully be really different and I truly believe it will,” Palhinha said. “I think this season will help Tottenham for the future — analyse what we did wrong, what we did well. It’s a big improvement and a big relief after the season.”

Whether Tottenham exercise their purchase option will depend on the club’s summer planning, but the alignment between player, manager, and fanbase — at least at full-time on Sunday — points firmly in one direction.