Joao Palhinha finds himself at the top of the tree when it comes to a key defensive stat, and it will not surprise Tottenham fans.Some of Tottenham’s summer signings have hit the ground running at N17, while others are yet to get going, specifically Randal Kolo Muani, who has suffered a frustrating injury setback.However, one man who has settled in seamlessly at Spurs is Mohammed Kudus, who is leading the Premier League for several key attacking stats.The Ghana international has been termed ‘unstopable’ by some pundits, but another of Tottenham’s summer signings is also quietly dominating in the middle of the park.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / InstagramJoao Palhinha’s impressive numbers in the base of the Tottenham midfieldThe Portuguese international showed during his time at Fulham that he is leagues above everyone else when it comes to tackles.In fact, over his two years at Craven Cottage, Palhinha made 109 more tackles than the player in second place, Moises Caicedo, which just shows how elite the midfielder is at winning the ball back.The 31-year-old has carried on that trend since returning to the Premier League, with WhoScored revealing that he averages 4.4 tackles per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, which is more than any other player.João Palhinha is averaging more successful tackles per 90 (4.44) than any other player in the Premier League this season (500+ mins).🛡️💪 pic.twitter.com/73r8ObGPHb— WhoScored (@WhoScored) October 8, 2025 Does Palhinha’s weakness affect Spurs offensively?While there is no doubting the Bayern Munich loanee’s ability off the ball, there are question marks over whether he offers enough in possession.Some have suggested that Thomas Frank should not be starting Palhinha against weaker sides, where Tottenham are expected to dominate the ball.However, some pundits have pushed back against that, suggesting that Palhinha’s partnership with Rodrigo Bentancur will get better as the pair become more accustomed to playing with each other.READ MORE: Tottenham fans will love what Joao Palhinha just said about finding happiness in N17The post Joao Palhinha leads the way in one insane Premier League stat that Tottenham will love appeared first on Spurs Web.