Joao Palhinha was on loan to Tottenham Hotspur last season. Bayern Munich had hoped the Spurs would sign him permanently, but that didn’t happen. While Palhinha remains the top candidate for release, a statement made after the first preseason match in Wiesbaden has now come as a surprise.
A lot has been written about the Portuguese player in recent days. Clubs from Italy are still in the mix, Benfica from Portugal is trying to find a way to finance Palhinha’s transfer, and talks are also underway with Aston Villa.
The Birmingham club, in particular, is said to have significantly stepped up its interest recently. Good news for Bayern? Not necessarily, since a transfer always involves multiple parties.
Palhinha surprises with his statement
Since no transfer is on the horizon yet, Palhinha was on the field for the record champions’ training kickoff and completed the fitness tests. He also traveled to Wiesbaden for the first friendly (1–2) and played for one half.
During the match celebrating the 100th anniversary of the club from the Hessian state capital, Christoph Freund, FC Bayern’s sporting director, reiterated that Bayern has no plans to keep either Palhinha or Sacha Boey. And that they had already been informed of this—even though both players took the field.
The Portuguese player himself then caused a surprise when he made a different statement in the mixed zone. “The plan is to keep my position here,” the Abendzeitung quoted him as saying after the game.
Given Freund’s statements, Palhinha’s remark comes as quite a surprise. Neither the club nor the coach is counting on Palhinha. So why is he now making this defiant statement?
It’s also clear that there’s interest in the Portuguese player. He’s reportedly still open to the idea of returning to Portugal to be closer to his family. And who knows—maybe his Premier League chapter at Aston Villa will heat up again after all.