The Newcastle United midfield has been significantly weakened this summer. The Magpies have sanctioned the departures of both Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.
With no Champions League football, keeping the club’s best players was always going to be a challenge. Even then, it feels like Newcastle United have lost too much quality and not brought back enough in return.
The two midfielders they have signed are 18-year-old Sean Steur from Ajax and 20-year-old Aladji Bamba from AS Monaco. They are highly-rated talents for sure. But at the same time, one has to recognise that those two have played a combined 50 senior games of football.
So, it is high time that the Magpies try to bring in some proven quality and experience to St James’ Park. And it looks like they are trying to do just that.
Newcastle United now in talks to sign Bayern Munich midfielder
According to Sky Sports, Newcastle United are in talks over signing Joao Palhinha on a permanent deal from Bayern Munich this summer.
Aston Villa’s proposed loan move for Palhinha has broken down as Bayern Munich have no interest in loaning out the player. He is now taking stock of his options.
That could mean staying at Bayern Munich. Clubs in Portugal are showing interest as well. But it is believed that the Premier League is Palhinha’s preferred option.
Of course, it had looked like Newcastle United were out of the race when news emerged that Palhinha had agreed personal terms with Aston Villa.
But now, it looks like Aston Villa are the ones out of the race instead. As for Newcastle United, signing Palhinha is a very real possibility.
Then again, we have seen them fall short in the transfer market on multiple occasions this summer already. So, let’s wait and watch whether they are able to convince Palhinha to come to St James’ Park.
What would Palhinha add to this Newcastle team
Palhinha might not have succeeded at Bayern Munich, but that does not mean that he is not a top-quality player. We saw his best in the Premier League itself, back when he was at Fulham.
It was that form that convinced Bayern Munich to sign him. And last season, he spent time on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, proving that he can still perform in the Premier League.
31 years of age, it is safe to say that Palhinha is in the twilight of his prime. Even then, he can add a lot to this young Newcastle United just through his experience.
