In the end it seems Tottenham were João Palhinha’s priority when the midfielder was looking for a move away from Bayern Munich this summer.
Spurs ultimately decided against meeting the financial conditions required for the deal. That opened the door for others and Palhinha eventually returned to Portugal with Benfica.
Sporting president Frederico Varandas has now provided some insight into what happened.
Speaking to journalists, with his comments relayed by O Jogo, Varandas revealed Sporting also explored bringing their former player back to Lisbon.
Palhinha chose Tottenham first
The Sporting chief says Palhinha made it clear Tottenham were ahead of his former club at that stage.
“Sporting were interested in the possibility of João Palhinha returning to the club,” Varandas said.
“At that point, Palhinha gave priority to Tottenham. Tottenham did not accept the financial conditions that were being demanded and Sporting could not wait for Palhinha.”
So Tottenham had the player’s preference, at least ahead of Sporting, but the numbers prevented the move from progressing.
Varandas also made clear Sporting would not have matched those demands themselves.
“If the conditions Palhinha and Bayern demanded from Sporting were the same, Sporting would not have moved forward,” he explained.
“I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. It’s simply not our sporting project or our strategy to invest tens of millions of euros in a 31-year-old player.”
Premier League battle ended with Portugal return
Palhinha’s future then became something of a saga over the remainder of the window.
Aston Villa spent considerable time trying to reach an agreement with Bayern Munich. Newcastle United also entered the picture and offered the German club a more attractive permanent deal.
Neither Premier League route worked out. The midfielder eventually returned to Portugal, although he did so with Sporting’s Lisbon rivals Benfica.
Varandas’ comments now fill in an important part of the earlier episodes. Palhinha wanted a move back to England, while Bayern wanted acceptable terms for his departure. In the end, Portugal provided the solution.
