Bad break for a player who hardly had a chance to get going here.
Bayern Munich may be set to place midfielder João Palhinha on the transfer market after just one season in Bavaria, according to a report from Sport Bild.
The German giants should be well-equipped at the midfield positions with Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Aleksandar Pavlović, and the incoming youngster and promising Germany prospect Tom Bischof. That would leave Palhinha, already on the outside looking in, surplus to requirements.
Via @iMiaSanMia:
Following Kimmich’s imminent extension, there would be an oversupply in midfield next season (Kimmich, Goretzka, Pavlović, Bischof, Palhinha). Goretzka is planning on fulfilling his contract until 2026. Palhinha, therefore, is considered a candidate for sale [@altobelli13, @cfbayern]
BFW Analysis
This is a tough break for the Portuguese international.
A staunch defensive preference known for his crunching tackles, the ex-Fulham man could not get his desired move to Bayern in before the deadline while Thomas Tuchel was still coach…and by the time he finally arrived in Munich, reportedly out of a sense of the club’s debt after the transfer window of summer 2023, Palhinha found a very different situation awaiting him.
Tuchel at times could not seem to see the value in Joshua Kimmich in midfield, while Vincent Kompany, like Julian Nagelsmann before him, relies heavily on the Bayern No. 6.
What now?
With Kimmich reportedly agreed to re-up and Leon Goretzka re-establishing his value — and in any case looking set to run down his contract if he is not extended also — Palhinha is simply the odd man out. At 29, he’s also not getting younger, and if he isn’t going to break firmly into the XI — one could say he had the chance this year, but injuries as well as tactics kept him from making the most of it — then it is better for both player and club to find an alternative solution.
Could he go back to the Premier League? Wherever he lands, if he does leave, it would be good to see Palhinha establish himself quickly and start more games.
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