Tottenham Hotspur have completed a shrewd signing indeed with Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha, who joins Thomas Frank’s side on a season-long loan deal with a buy option inserted for £26m.
He joins Mohammed Kudus down at N17, and it’s starting to feel like the new era is shaping up, even with skipper Heung-min Son leaving for LAFC in a deal worth £20m.
33-year-old Son’s departure was anticipated, but the loss of James Maddison to a knee injury in pre-season was not part of the script, and Frank is now forced to contend with the absence of one of Spurs’ most important creative forces for a long stretch of the impending campaign.
Spurs considering James Maddison replacements
Tottenham’s fruitless bid to sign Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White last month emphasises Frank’s desire to shore up his Tottenham midfield with a new playmaker.
That need has only been aggravated by Maddison’s agonising setback, having endured such torrid luck on the injury front since leaving Leicester City and joining Tottenham for £40m in 2023.
Expect the Lilywhites to take action, moving for a midfielder who could add some creativity and flair.
And the man potentially arriving might be Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, with Sports Mole revealing that an immediate enquiry was posted to the Etihad Stadium following Maddison’s injury. Antonio Conte’s Napoli are also in the race, although the report suggests that the Serie A side are ‘no longer frontrunners’.
Grealish is expected to leave Man City this summer after falling out of favour, and he’s previously been transfer-listed at £40m, some way below the then British-record £100m fee the Citizens paid Aston Villa for his services in 2021.
Why Spurs should sign Jack Grealish
On a personal level, Grealish has fallen by the wayside at Manchester City.
But the Three Lions man remains a “magician” of a player, as he has been called by former Premier League star Ashley Cole, and he might even prove to be an upgrade on Maddison, should he rediscover his finest form away from City.
Grealish has won the gamut in sky blue, but he’s only scored 17 goals and laid on 23 assists across 157 matches for the club. Never billed as a prolific wide player, he has still struggled for purchase too often in recent years, limited to just 17 Premier League starts across that period.
The 2024/25 campaign was hardly one of success for either midfielder on an individual basis, but Maddison thrived during his debut year with Tottenham (albeit he was still blighted by injuries), while Grealish operated at an absurd level with Villa, attracting City’s attention.
Matches (starts)
26 (24)
28 (26)
Goals
6
4
Assists
10
9
Shots (on target)*
1.9 (0.7)
2.1 (0.8)
Big chances missed
4
4
Pass completion
83%
87%
Big chances created
14
11
Key passes*
3.2
2.4
Dribbles*
2.5
1.1
Tackles + interceptions*
1.7
1.7
Total duels (won)*
8.9 (61%)
5.1 (57%)
There are some intriguing similarities between the Englishmen, but, as you can see above, Grealish is capable of more impressive and complete displays when on his A-game.
Even though Grealish has endured some difficulties in Pep Guardiola’s squad over the past couple of years, he remains a hardy and fleet-footed player. A maverick, he’s unplayable when at his best.
As per FBref, the 29-year-old ranked among the top 1% of positional peers in the Premier League last season for progressive carries, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 3% for pass completion and the top 5% for progressive passes per 90, highlighting his deep-seated elite quality.
Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.
Frank could rekindle his fire and allow him to bounce back toward that once remarkable level. Tottenham, for sure, could hit the jackpot by signing Grealish for a cut-price fee.