By all accounts, Fulham destroyer João Palhinha would have made an excellent addition to Bayern Munich’s 2023/24 squad. The Portuguese international fit what former head coach Thomas Tuchel wanted at the time, and, well, the Bavarians’ results last year without him speak for themselves.
It did not work out, though, and now Bayern is reportedly going back for Palhinha. However, not everyone thinks it is a good idea. Stefan Bienkowski, a journalist on the Bundesliga beat, makes his case:
Hot take: Bayern Munich definitely shouldn’t be spending ~€50m on a central midfielder that turns 29 in July. That midfield needs a huge rebuild – and Joao Palhinha is a very good player – but this is just the same short-term panic buying we saw last summer and the year before.
— Stefan Bienkowski (@SBienkowski) June 9, 2024
Hot take: Bayern Munich definitely shouldn’t be spending ~€50m on a central midfielder that turns 29 in July. That midfield needs a huge rebuild – and Joao Palhinha is a very good player – but this is just the same short-term panic buying we saw last summer and the year before.
Is Stefan right? Some points to consider:
- When Tuchel first seemed to want Palhinha, Aleksandar Pavlović had not emerged yet.
- Bayern’s midfield age profile is now: Joshua Kimmich (29), Leon Goretzka (29), Konrad Laimer (27), Pavlović (20)
- Could Kimmich’s Bayern future be fixed at right-back? That might lead the German international to test the transfer waters, perhaps with a move to Manchester City or Arsenal FC — vacating the No. 6 position as well as creating a need at right-back.
- Bayern has a few veterans on big salaries who are proving challenging to unload. Can Palhinha be a long-term solution, or one more in that list as Bayern searches for its next likely expensive DM in a few transfer windows’ time?
On the other hand, perhaps this new profile is exactly the move Bayern needs to unlock its potential — and to take down Bayer Leverkusen next season.
How fast and how completely Bayern remakes its engine room in central midfield will be one of the big decisions for next coach Vincent Kompany. Given how many pieces it could set into motion, it could be the biggest call of the summer window.
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Looking for some thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s pursuit of João Palhinha, how he might fit in the squad, and what the roster fallout might look like? Then check out our latest Bavarian Podcast Works Show, where we also hit on why Sky Sport’s report on six big player sales might not be so far offbase and why the German national team did not give fans a ton of confidence after the friendlies against Ukraine and Greece. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: