Newcastle make Joao Palhinha move as Aston Villa deal collapses - Report
Aston Villa have spent a fair bit of time circling a move for Joao Palhinha, and it looked all but done. Until today, when it looks like things have fallen away.
Reports from across Europe now suggest that Newcastle are making a move for the Portugal midfielder, just after Villa had a loan move rejected. And that loan move seems to be the issue, with Bayern keen to move Joao Palhinha on permanently.
Joao Palhinha had agreed personal terms with Villa, so he is at least willing to move. Now, Newcastle are set to offer him a deal, which could solve the midfield hole.
Newcastle table Palhinha offer
According to MARCA journalist Diego Pico on X, Newcastle have offered a three-year deal for Joao Palhinha.
The story also suggests we have contacted his club, with a move progressing. But with no personal terms agreed, it’s still a long way off.
With money from the sale of Bruno G clearly burning a hole in the pockets of Newcastle, a deal should be viable. Palhinha will be on big wages, but that’s another area the club has some wiggle room in. If Pope and Willock leave, those wages alone would likely cover what Palhinha would want.
The story has some added weight, with Bayern’s director of sport Max Eberl saying: “Aston Villa have contacted us for João Palhinha but there’s NO agreement. The deal is currently OFF.”
This is a pretty clear message. The sceptic in us does think this is also a very public “pay the transfer fee” message aimed at someone.
Is Palhinha what we need?
Palhinha spent last season with Spurs, and despite them being terrible, it does give us a good example of the type of player he is.
Making 33 appearances in the league (10 as a sub) for Spurs, Palhinha scored 5 times and contributed 2 assists. Which is pretty good for a defensive midfielder. He completed around 110 tackles, which is just over four per 90, about what he was doing at his peak with Fulham.
For xG fans, he ended with 5.3 from 33 shots, and 9 on target, which suggests when he does hit the target, it goes in. Discipline-wise, he got 8 yellow and no red cards, committing just over 1 foul per 90.
When compared to Tonali, there’s an interesting difference. Palhinha is a defensive midfielder; he wins the ball more and wins more duels. What he isn’t as good at is progressing the ball forward. But if we want him to defend, then he’s got that nailed down.
