Joao Palhinha has had to wait a year, but at last he will become a Bayern player.
For Fulham, he has been a revelation. Signed for a fee in the region of €20m (£17.2m) in 2022, Palhinha has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water. His style of play, characterised by a ferocious appetite for a slide tackle, has not only made him a clear fan favourite, but also one of the Premier League’s most eye-catching defensive midfielders.
For two seasons in a row, Palhinha has won more tackles than any other player, by a sizeable margin (152 in 2023-24, up from 148 in 2022-23).
For Marco Silva, who was instrumental in his recruitment, Palhinha has been a key cog in his midfield. After winning promotion from the Championship, he wanted a more combative holding player after allowing Jean-Michaell Seri, a playmaker, to depart. Since signing, Palhinha has been the hearbeat of the team and the fear has been that Fulham would struggle without him. Last summer, as Bayern made a last ditch attempt to sign Palhinha, the prospect of losing both Aleksandar Mitrovic and Palhinha in one summer was unpalatable.
Fulham could not find a replacement at short notice last summer and Palhinha signed a new deal not long afterwards. If anything, this was a deserved pay rise after a strong season. Palhinha’s desire to join Bayern was clear. His professionalism since his painful near miss last year has been exemplary and so finding an accommodation when Bayern returned to the table, including a play rise through a new deal, felt necessary. The fee received will surpass that received for Mitrovic last summer from Al Hilal (€52.6m, £46m).
The challenge for Fulham now is to find a replacement. They have coped much better when Palhinha has been absent this past season, but a No 6 now will be under consideration. Fluminense’s Andre is one name the club have targeted. Unlike last summer, they have more time now to adapt to life without Palhinha.
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Courtesy : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/transfer-news-latest-updates-live/TsI5KsmFqssP/