Profile
Season stats
Full career & schedule →Domestic-league season · Tottenham.
Performance data · by competition
| Competition | Apps | G | A | Min | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Premier League | 33 | 5 | 2 | 2210 | 7.04 |
 UEFA Champions League | 8 | 1 | 1 | 377 | 7.15 |
 League Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 180 | 7.45 |
 FA Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 7.3 |
 UEFA Super Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 7.2 |
Scout report
João Palhinha is a 31-year-old defensive midfielder at Tottenham, enjoying a standout season — 5 goals and 2 assists in 33 appearances, a Season grade of 59, top 13% of Premier League defensive midfielders. On long-term scout potential he's rated 42.7, ranking 325th of 376 in the Premier League. A seasoned veteran, he has been a regular starter (66.4% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 6.19 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Palhinha.
Judged on this season alone, Palhinha graded 59 — an excellent campaign that ranks top 13% of the 55 defensive midfielders in the Premier League, on 5 goals, 2 assists and 6.19 defensive actions per 90.
Year-on-year, that's a clear step up on last season (Season 7 → 59). Over the 6 seasons on record his form has trended upward, peaking in 2023/24.
On long-term talent our Rating reads 43, 47th of 55 of the 55 defensive midfielders in the Premier League. At 31 Palhinha is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 38.4 reflects that trajectory.
Palhinha is operating at his career peak — the 2023/24 level is the level.
Output in context · Tottenham finished 17th of 20 · a lower-table side
6.19 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — high defensive volume, with 6 clean sheets across 33 appearances. Doing that for a lower-table side (17th of 20) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight. Going forward he chipped in 5 goals and 2 assists — a useful bonus from the back.
Strengths
- Availability. On the pitch for 66.4% of available minutes — a dependable presence in the XI.
- Attacking threat. Chips in from deep: 0.28 goal involvements per 90, useful for a defensive midfielder.
- Defensive volume. 6.19 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — does the unseen work.
- Pedigree. Performing in a top-tier setting (team strength 91.6/100).
Watch points
- Age curve. At 31, both level and resale value are on the downslope.
- Level. Rates below a nailed-on top-tier starter on our model.
Outlook
With a Rating of 42.7, Palhinha carries the 47th-highest potential of the defensive midfielders in the Premier League of 55, and he is posting that for a lower-table side (Tottenham finished 17th of 20) — individual numbers are harder to earn on a struggling team, so his underlying level likely sits a touch above the ranking. Defensively he reads as high defensive volume (6.19 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Veteran phase — a short-term, lower-fee proposition as both level and value decline (0.9× and falling).
Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.
Transfer news
No transfer news found for this player.
