Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Joao Parinha has found it harder to get game time in recent days after starting 11 of the first 12 Premier League games this season.
According to Transfermarkt, the Portugal international’s start against Brentford on Thursday night was his first top-flight appearance since November, although he made one substitute appearance and three appearances from the bench in December.
According to SofaScore, Palinha has four goals and three assists in all competitions, but has not found the back of the net since the 4-0 win over Copenhagen in early November.
According to FBref, the Bayern Munich loanee’s overall struggles in possession could be the reason for his recent absence from the squad. According to FBref, he ranks in the bottom 23% of Premier League midfielders for progressive passes per 90 (3.24) and in the bottom 16% for progressive carries per 90 (0.53).
Spurs eyeing Bundesliga star signing
Spurs are now reportedly considering signing another central midfielder, which could further limit the game time Parinha gets in the second half of the season.
According to CaughtOffside, Bayern Munich midfield star Leon Goretzka’s agent has made contact with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Arsenal.
The newspaper reports that sources have suggested that the German giants will be forced to consider selling him in the January transfer window if a convincing offer is presented.
He added that the Lilywhites are mulling over a winter swoop for the experienced midfielder and are closely monitoring the German international’s situation at the Allianz Arena.
However, CaughtOffside does not reveal how much money Bayern would need to consider an offer for the £218,000-a-week star player “compelling” enough for him to part ways with Bayern.
Why Tottenham’s interest in Goretzka is bad news for Parinha
If Spurs are able to agree a deal to bring Goretzka to north London, it could be a sense of déjà vu for Parinha. Because Goretzka left Bayern on loan in the summer after falling minutes behind the German giants last season.
The Portugal international only started six league games for Vincent Kompany’s Bayern in the 2024-25 season, but Goretzka started 13 times and appeared in a further nine games, according to Sofascore.
24/25 Bundesliga | goretzka | straw |
|---|---|---|
Appearance | 26 | 17 |
time per game | 51 | 40 |
the goal | 4 | 0 |
Tackles + Interceptions per game | 1.6 | 1.4 |
Ground duel success rate | 60% | 55% |
Aerial duel success rate | 53% | 65% |
red card | 0 | 1 |
Statistics by Sofascore | ||
As you can see from the table above, the German international performed well in midfield in the Bundesliga last season, justifying a bigger role in the team.
Described as a midfield “machine” by Bayern teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic, Goretzka is a more balanced midfielder and is better suited to play in a dominant team that wants to compete at the top of the table.
According to FBref, Palinha offers good defensive quality with his tackling and interception abilities, ranking in the top 1% of Premier League midfielders in tackles per 90 (5.27) this season.
But a midfielder for a team that wants to compete at the top needs to be able to provide quality of possession to match their defensive quality, which is why Kompany was willing to let him go, and may be why Thomas Frank let him go in recent weeks.
The stats in the graph above from Goretzka and Parinha’s stats this season show a huge difference in the quality of possession between both players, with the German ranking higher in many possession-based metrics.
This suggests that Goretzka’s presence in the squad could spell bad news for the former Fulham star later this season, as was the case with Bayern in 2024-25.
The 30-year-old star could be a great addition to Franck’s squad to add more on-ball quality to his options in the middle of the park, but Parinha’s future at the club beyond his initial loan spell will likely remain in serious doubt. That’s because he could suffer for game time compared to the German talent.
