It took two separate summer transfer windows, but Bayern Munich was finally able to land João Palhinha from Fulham FC during this past summer’s window after a move had fallen through in the dying hours of the previous summer’s transfer window. Back in the summer of 2023, the Portuguese midfielder had already traveled to Munich, been presented with a club kit, and had taken photos with said kit before the move had collapsed right before the end of the window in Germany.
Fast forward to now under Vincent Kompany, and Palhinha has found himself to be playing the role of a bit part player that is predominantly used as a substitute off of the bench. For the most part, Kompany has been opting for a midfield pivot of Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović, though there have been some slight variations to that across all competitions from the Belgian manager.
So far, Palhinha has made a total of six appearances across all competitions and his only start of the season came in Bayern’s 6-1 win at Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga. His longest substitute appearance thus far was a 20-minute, second half shift that he put in during Bayern’s 5-0 win over Werder Bremen in the league, followed closely by his 16-minute cameo in the 2-0 win over SC Freiburg.
In a recent interview with Sport Bild, the Portuguese midfielder explained how he is very much respecting the process of waiting for his proper time at Bayern. He knew it was not going to be a situation where he just walked right into the starting lineup in midfield when he joined from Fulham.
“I know that my time at FC Bayern will come. That’s why I’m working hard every day – I’m fighting to get my chance. To be honest, I’m not interested in the talk about whether I’m losing patience. What is said or interpreted from outside is not important. I’m at this big club because I believe in myself,” he explained (via @iMiaSanMia).
Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
This is also not the first big adjustment Palhinha has made. He has had to fight for his place in multiple teams throughout his career, including his tenure at Fulham, Sporting Lisbon, and SC Braga.
“There have been many times in my career where things like this have been said: ‘will he make it? Will he get game time?’ – we’re just at the beginning. There’s a saying for that in Portugal, which is a motto for me. It’s not about how it begins, it’s about how it ends. I’m just concentrating on my work, on the training sessions. I’m ready. Whether I play for 90, 45 or just five minutes: I will fight for every moment,” he continued.
After the international break, the fixtures also start to come thick and fast for Bayern across all fronts. They face all of VfB Stuttgart, Barcelona, and a decent Union Berlin side within a short span after the break is over, with the second round DB-Pokal matchup against Mainz mixed in there, as well. Kompany will have to make rotations out of necessity and Palhinha will certainly get opportunities to stake his claim for more starts.
