Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi said he would like to keep Joao Palhinha at the club beyond his loan in his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Palhinha, 30, joined Tottenham in August from Bayern Munich on a season-long loan and has made 42 appearances for the north London club, scoring six goals and providing three assists.

The Portugal international earned his first start under De Zerbi in last Sunday’s 2-1 win against Aston Villa, after scoring the winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers the weekend before, Tottenham’s first league win of 2026.

“100 per cent”, De Zerbi replied when asked whether he’d like to keep the midfielder at the club next season. “We have to start with these types of people. More than players, we need reliable people, reliable players, and Palhinha is one of the best as a player, for sure, but as a guy.

“I want to see players with the same passion, attitude, spirit and personality. We are very lucky to have Palhinha with us.”

The season-long loan deal included an option to make the transfer permanent for €30million (£25.9m, $34.2m) at the end of the season, though it is unclear yet whether Tottenham would look to restructure a possible deal for the defensive midfielder.

Palhinha spent just one season at Bayern, making 25 appearances across all competitions, after the German giants signed him from Fulham in 2024 for a deal worth €51m ($58.3m).

The former Fulham man was part of the midfield trio that impressed against Villa last weekend, making 10 defensive contributions, including two tackles, three clearances and four recoveries. De Zerbi may opt to go for the same midfield to play against Leeds United on Monday, as the Italian confirmed there are no fresh injury concerns from last week’s game.

Dominic Solanke is also in contention to return soon from a muscle injury sustained against Wolves, with the trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on May 19 the target game.

“Solanke is improving very quickly,” De Zerbi said. “I don’t know for this game, I don’t know if he can be available. We hope for the game at Stamford Bridge.”

He is also closely assessing James Maddison, who has not played competitively for Spurs since the Europa League semi-final first leg win over Bodo/Glimt last May, after sustaining a ruptured ACL in his right knee on their pre-season tour of East Asia last summer. Maddison has been involved in Tottenham’s three most recent matchday squads due to his leadership, and De Zerbi is hoping to have him back on the pitch soon.

Solanke (left) and Maddison (middle) are both being assessed. (Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images)

“I’m thinking about James Maddison because I’m watching a top, top player,” De Zerbi said. “Maybe he is not ready yet to play for his physical condition, rhythm and the intensity of the game. We are playing in the Premier League, the most difficult league in terms of intensity and rhythm.

“But as a player he is great. As a coach watching a player like him — especially for me, I am sensitive because I was a No 10 — players like Xavi Simons, Maddison, (Dejan) Kulusevski, (Mohammed) Kudus. We have a lot of No 10s, but I want to see.”