Examining the issue surrounding Bayern Munich's high-profile transfer acquisition, Palhinha, and the reason behind his underperformance during his tenure with the club.
Thomas Tuchel had a strong desire to bring Joao Palhinha to FC Bayern as a "Deep-Lying Midfielder," but the player arrived a year later and struggled under Tuchel's successor Vincent Kompany. Max Eberl discussed the situation of the high-profile transfer.
Joao Palhinha has played in a few games for FC Bayern since then. The Portuguese has appeared on the pitch for the record champions in four matches, but has only managed to accumulate 139 minutes. There's no denying that the 29-year-old is not yet at his best. Tuchel was eager to sign the Portuguese in the summer of 2023 as a "Deep-Lying Midfielder," and even had everything settled, but the deal fell through at the last minute. FC Fulham refused to let him go as they could not find a replacement.
Tuchel had a specific role in mind for Palhinja. He was meant to be a true "Deep-Lying Midfielder" to hold the Munich team together. Not all players in the squad were on board with this idea. Joshua Kimmich, for example, felt a bit unsettled and made it clear that he sees himself in that role. Kompany shares the same opinion and brought Kimmich back from the right-back position to the center. And he played the young national player Aleksander Pavlovic next to him. Palhinja, who joined the team this summer for around 50 million euros with a one-year delay, has no place in the team. He hasn't even made it into the starting eleven. He only played the entire 90 minutes in the 6:1 win against promoted Holstein Kiel.
Palhinja didn't get any minutes in the home game against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday evening. What's going on? Has FC Bayern spent 50 million euros on a player they no longer need? Sporting director Max Eberl vehemently denies this and defends the new signing. "We will need him, we will need him," he said after the 1:1 draw against Leverkusen. "We are now in the fifth Bundesliga matchday, we have a Champions League matchday," said the sporting director and added: "Crunch time in the competitions is March, April, May."
Eberl sees one of the reasons for the team's strong start to the season in the "extremely high level of competition in the squad." This is evident in the fact that "Joao Palhinja can certainly be brought onto the pitch in this game." In principle, it's like that at FC Bayern: "If a player thinks they can do a little less, then there are others who are ready." Like Palhinja - perhaps already in his quick return to England with the Champions League game on Wednesday at Aston Villa (in the live ticker at ntv.de).
One who is thriving under Kompany and occupying one of the positions that Palhinja would like to have is Kimmich. "The coach's playing idea suits me very well. I see in the way he wants to play football that I can bring my strengths to the table," said Kimmich in "Blickpunkt Sport" on BR Fernsehen. "Of course, I notice that he sees me in the center. Nevertheless, I would never say that the right-back position is history for me. Especially in the national team, I still play as a right-back," said the FC Bayern midfield chief. "I see it as a great strength, or it has already brought me to where I am today, that I can play on several positions."
Palhinja's time at FC Bayern Munich has been limited, with him only managing to play 139 minutes in four appearances since joining the team for around 50 million euros. Despite Max Eberl's assurance that Palhinja will be needed, the Portuguese midfielder has yet to secure a consistent starting spot.
Joshua Kimmich, on the other hand, has been thriving under Vincent Kompany, occupying the positions that Palhinja had hoped for. Kimmich's versatility and ability to perform well in multiple roles have made him a crucial player for both FC Bayern and the German national team.
