based on the 2025/26 season · updated 18 Aug 2026
Profile
Season stats
Full career & schedule →Domestic-league season · Benfica.
Also this season
On loan at Tottenham — UEFA Champions League: 8 apps, 1g 1a, 377 min
On loan at Tottenham — League Cup: 2 apps, 1g 0a, 180 min
On loan at Tottenham — FA Cup: 1 apps, 0g 0a, 90 min
The headline Season rating covers his time at Benfica; availability counts only fixtures while in this squad.
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 58. On long-term scout potential he's rated 42.1. A seasoned veteran, he has been a regular starter (64.3% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 6.22 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Palhinha.
On the season, Palhinha graded 58 for current form (age-blind), on 5 goals, 2 assists and 6.224 defensive actions per 90.
Year-on-year, that's broadly in line with last season (Season 58 → 55). Over the 7 seasons on record his form has trended upward, peaking in 2023/24.
On long-term talent our Rating reads 42. At 31 Palhinha is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 37.9 reflects that trajectory.
Below his 2023/24 peak but holding a solid level — the platform for a return is there.
Output in context · Tottenham finished 17th of 20 · a lower-table side
6.22 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 64.3% of available minutes — a dependable presence in the XI.
- Attacking threat. Chips in from deep: 0.29 goal involvements per 90, useful for a defensive midfielder.
- Defensive volume. 6.22 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
Rated 42.1 overall — developing / rotation level. Defensively he reads as high defensive volume (6.22 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.
Season statistics
Bars = where he ranks among defensive midfielders in the Primeira Liga with 600+ minutes this season.
Shooting
Passing
Defending
Yellow/red cards
Transfer news
No transfer news found for this player.
