Palhinha happy to tackle it head-on

JOAO PALHINHA cannot wait to meet his new Tottenham teammates - even if they do not have fond memories of him.

- by STEVE JUDGE

The former Fulham midfielder has returned to the Premier League on loan from Bayern Munich.

Palhinha revealed he has played with the likes of Mathys Tel and Pedro Porro before.

But it is the mark the tough-tackling Portugal star may have left on some of his other new teammates which may make for an interesting first training session when Thomas Frank's squad return from their tour of Asia. The 30-year-old said: "I have a few players who I've played with before - Mathys Tel, Pedro Porro - and other players I have played against in the Premier League.