It has been an eventful day if you are a Newcastle United fan. The morning started with news breaking out that Eddie Howe had left the club. That came out of absolutely nowhere. And now, it has also emerged that the Magpies want a Bayern Munich midfielder.
Of course, we are all aware of the speculation around the future of club captain Bruno Guimaraes. If you ask me, he is on his way out, especially after Howe’s exit. Whether it will be Arsenal or somewhere else remains to be seen.
Finding a replacement for him won’t be simple though. Guimaraes is the club captain as well as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
So far this summer, Newcastle United have seemed comfortable signing youngsters with room for growth rather than going for ready-made names. But now, it appears that they have a 31-year-old Bayern Munich player with plenty of Premier League experience on their radar to replace Guimaraes.
Newcastle United want Bayern Munich midfielder
According to a report from ESPN Brazil journalist Bruno Andrade (via Sport Witness), Newcastle United are already preparing for life after Guimaraes, as he said:
“Newcastle are already counting on his departure at those figures and have two midfielders in negotiations. One deal is more advanced than the other. They are looking at two players to replace what they see as Bruno Guimarães’ imminent move to Arsenal, which has always been his preferred destination.”
The journalist further went on to add:
“One of those players is João Palhinha. The Portuguese midfielder who belongs to Bayern Munich and spent last season on loan at Tottenham. Newcastle see him as a good replacement.”
Why signing Palhinha makes sense for Newcastle
Of course, Palhinha has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt. He was a standout at Fulham, which is what convinced Bayern Munich to sign him.
Admittedly, it did not exactly work out as well as hoped at Bayern Munich. That is why he spent the previous season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur. And once again, he improved.
So, it is not hard to see why Newcastle United might be interested in signing Palhinha to fill the void Guimaraes looks set to leave behind, if or when he leaves the club.
Palhinha ticks a lot of boxes. Obviously, he is 31 years of age and a full Portuguese international. He has also proven himself at the Premier League and would not need an extended adjustment period to find his feet in England.
In many ways, it would be the perfect replacement. Someone who can come in and immediately take over the reins. Now, let’s see if Newcastle United make a move or not.
It is also very intriguing who the other midfielder on their radar is. Could it be someone with a similar profile to Palhinha? Or is it going to be someone completely different?
