Jamie Carragher has said that there is a reason why no big club went for Joao Palhinha apart from Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

The 30-year-old has delivered what was expected of him since his loan move from Bayern Munich in the summer.

Palhinha has been posting excellent numbers on ball recoveries, tackles and interceptions this season, and his addition has undoubtedly made Spurs much more solid defensively.

However, many have pointed out that Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur rarely pass the ball forward, which is seen as the main reason why the Lilywhites are struggling to create chances with regularity.

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The midfielders across the Premier League were plotted on a graph for tackles and line-breaking passes on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.

Carragher pointed out that while Palhinha is comfortably outperforming almost every other midfielder for tackles, neither he nor Bentancur are making too many passes through the lines.

The Liverpool legend suggested the Portuguese international’s shortcomings in possession are why no other big club wanted him this summer, and Bayern Munich hardly played him last season.

Carragher said: “One of his [Thomas Frank’s] first signings is Palhinha. He is not capable, I don’t think, of doing this [breaking the lines with...