Fulham star Joao Palhinha is "said to want" a move across London to West Ham United, according to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee.
Who will West Ham sign?
Following the departure of star midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal, there is a lot of work to be done for manager David Moyes as the Irons look to source as a capable replacement.
The England international made the move to Mikel Arteta's side in a British record £105 million transfer deal (including £5m in add-ons), giving West Ham a huge financial windfall but also a glaring squad problem to solve.
There have been a fair few star midfielders linked with a move to the London Stadium, notably Switzerland international Denis Zakaria, Bayern Munich star Leon Goretzka and Man United's Scott McTominay.
Palhinha is another player of interest to West Ham in that position, though some reports suggest Fulham are set to dig their heels in and could even demand as much as £90 million (The Daily Mail).
The Portugal international, who dazzled at Craven Cottage in his debut season after signing from Sporting Lisbon last summer, is apparently keen to join West Ham.
That's according to ExWHUemployee, who claimed on his Patreon (via The West Ham Way) that Palhinha is personally said to want to make the move.
However, there is a problem in the form of his club, who are not particularly keen to sell their star and have rejected West Ham's opening bid for him.
“Whilst Fulham are said to have turned down the first offer from West Ham for Joao Palhinha, the player is said to want a move across London,” stated Ex.
“He could speak to Fulham to see what their plans are for him. Although as of our last report the club do have a number of other defensive midfielder targets so Fulham would have to lower their demands significantly for a deal to happen.”
How good is Joao Palhinha?
The 28-year-old, according to WhoScored, ranked as one of Marco Silva's best-performing players by average match rating whilst scoring multiple goals from midfield.
Palhinha was also an un-droppable member of the Fulham starting eleven, with goalkeeper Bernd Leno being the only player in their squad to feature over more league minutes (WhoScored).
Over 2022/2023, the tough-tackling ace averaged more successful challenges per 90 than any other Fulham star, and than anyone in the entire Premier League for that matter (WhoScored).
Want-away Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, speaking last season, called Palhinha an "amazing, amazing" player and one of their best 2022 summer signings.
“I think this year there’s been some sensational [signings] that we have made," said Mitrovic.
“For me personally, [Joao] Palhinha is the signing of the season so far, amazing, amazing [player].
“[Bernd] Leno is the signing that we made that’s amazing. The players who fit straight away and didn’t need time to adapt like before, they fit straight away.”
Meanwhile, Sporting boss Ruben Amorim also lavished praise on Palhinha during the "special" player's time in Portugal.
"I often tell Palhinha that he is very good without the ball and with the ball," said Amorim in 2021.
"More than a tactical coach, I get it in Palhinha’s head that he is a special player.”
