João Palhinha has expressed his desire to remain at Tottenham Hotspur after helping the club secure Premier League survival on the final day of the season. The midfielder, on loan from Bayern Munich, scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory over Everton, ensuring Spurs finished two points clear of the relegation zone.
Tottenham have an option to make the move permanent for €30 million (£26 million), and manager Roberto De Zerbi has stated he “100%” wants the transfer to happen. Palhinha has now indicated he is open to staying, saying: “Since the first day I arrived I feel at home. From the supporters, the crowd. Top club. Who doesn’t want to play for Tottenham and stay here? I have everything here.”
The 30-year-old Portugal international joined Spurs in January after an SOS call from De Zerbi, who took over with the club in danger of relegation. Under his guidance, Tottenham picked up 11 points from seven games, enough to stay up. Palhinha believes the club can learn from a difficult campaign and improve next season.
“I think the next season will hopefully be really different and I truly believe,” he said. “This season will help Tottenham for the future. Analyse the season, what we did wrong, what we did well and it will be a big improvement and a big relief after the season.”
