Tottenham could break nine-year transfer rule with £27m move on the cards

Tottenham Hotspur will break a golden transfer rule for the first time in almost a decade if they opt to buy Joao Palhinha permanently next summer.

The Portuguese veteran arrived in north London earlier this month in a loan move from Bayern Munich, as Spurs look to pick up the pieces after a lacklustre Premier League season. The Lilywhites finished a dismal 17th last term under Ange Postecoglou, although Australian did end the club's wait for a trophy by securing the Europa League title.

After an impressive seven-year stint with Brentford, Thomas Frank made the shock move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer to succeed Postecoglou, and very little time has been wasted in making improvements to the squad which he inherited.

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As well as signing the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso on permanent deals, Frank has been boosted by the arrival of Palhinha on a season-long loan, with a £27million option to buy next summer. And should Spurs opt to activate the clause, it will come as the first time in nine years that they will have paid a transfer fee for an outfield player over the age of 30.

He will be on the verge of 31 by the time next season's summer window reopens. Fernando Llorente was the last outfielder that Spurs paid a transfer fee for, signing the striker from Swansea City in a £12.1m move in the summer of 2017 at the age of 32.

Unfortunately, the move came back to bite the Lilywhites in major fashion, with Llorente managing just two Premier League goals from 36 appearances before he was moved on to Napoli in a free transfer in 2019. Thankfully for Palhinha, there will be very little pressure on the star scoring goals given his role predominantly as a defensive midfielder.

With a stellar resume with the likes of Sporting CP, Fulham and Bayern, Palhinha arrives in north London with an impressive wealth of accolades, having won a Primeira Liga title, three Taca de Ligas and a Bundesliga crown. At international level, he has also been capped 34 times for Portugal, scooping the Nations League with the country earlier this year.

Palhinha made his official debut for Spurs during Saturday's Premier League opener against newly-promoted Burnley on home soil, entering the fray as an 80th-minute substitute for Lucas Bergvall to see out a comfortable 3-0 win. Richarlison opened the scoring for the Lilywhites just 10 minutes into the clash, meeting Kudus' whipped cross from the right in the centre of the box to volley the ball home past Martin Dubravka.

The Brazilian doubled his tally for the day 15 minutes into the second half in audacious fashion, connecting with another Kudus cross with an overhead kick before wheeling off in celebration. Brennan Johnson sealed the deal for the home side six minutes later, with Pape Matar Sarr assisting with a through ball.

Despite spirits running high within the Spurs camp, Frank will understand the task his side faces when they travel to the Etihad Stadium next week to face a rejuvenated Manchester City squad.

Pep Guardiola's Cityzens rose to the summit of the Premier League following an emphatic 4-0 drubbing of Wolves at Molineux on Saturday evening, with goals coming from new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, as well as a brace from Erling Haaland.