Tottenham Hotspur have prioritised youth in recent transfer windows, but sometimes it pays to deviate from a chosen path.

On Sunday, Tottenham announced the signing of Joao Palhinha on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich as the reshaping of Thomas Frank’s squad continues.

The 30-year-old is an atypical Spurs recruit. He is the club’s 23rd first-team signing since the summer of 2023 and the first over 30, having entered his fourth decade in July. Of the other 22, 17 were aged 24 or under when they joined.

The Portuguese is the first thirty-something recruit in three years, since Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster arrived in the same summer when Antonio Conte was manager.

Spurs possess an abundance of exciting, young talent, including in midfield, where they have Pape Matar Sarr (22), L

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