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 a season-long loan from Bayern Munich, scored the decisive goal against Everton to ensure Spurs finished two points clear of the relegation zone.
Tottenham have an option to make the move permanent for €30m (£26m), and manager Roberto De Zerbi has said he “100%” wants the deal to go through. 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 compared his situation to a marriage, adding: “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 with it being a tough season.” Spurs turned to De Zerbi in an SOS call, and his return of 11 points from seven games proved enough to keep the club up.
Palhinha is confident the club can learn from the campaign. “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.”
