Bayern Munich’s João Palhinha brushed off talk of a summer switch to Arsenal in an emotionally vulnerable review of his first season in Bavaria.
The former Fulham enforcer at the base of midfield was supposed to join Bayern in 2023. At the very public demands of then-manager Thomas Tuchel, the Bundesliga giants were on the cusp of sealing a deal for Palhinha, going as far as getting pictures of him in the club’s kit ready for the announcement.
However, Fulham’s search for his successor fell through at the last minute. One year later, Palhinha belatedly moved to Munich only to find that Vincent Kompany had replaced Tuchel. The Belgian boss put little faith in the prolific tackler throughout the 2024–25 campaign.
A chronic lack of minutes has prompted speculation that Palhinha could look for an escape route this summer, and it emerged earlier this week that Arsenal were negotiating a move for the Portugal international earlier this summer, only for talks to fall through.
While Bayern are thought to be open to selling, Palhinha has reiterated his desire to stay and fight for his future in Munich.
“I have a contract [at Bayern] for three more years, so I’ll report for duty on July 29, which is when we start this pre-season,” the 30-year-old huffed to Sport TV. “Enjoying these vacation days with family and friends is the most important thing right now.
“Regarding my future, as I’ve said several times, I have three more years on my contract, I don’t know what will happen, but I’m at a great club, as I’ve always said.”
Kompany handed Palhinha just six league starts throughout the 2024–25 campaign. A muscular injury at the turn of the year only heightened the struggles of adapting to a new league and an entirely different system. As an upwardly mobile mid-table outfit, the emphasis was rarely on Fulham to dictate play—the complete opposite is true at Bayern. During Palhinha’s final season in west London, the Cottagers averaged a little over 50% possession. Kompany’s Bundesliga champions boasted 68% of the ball last term.
“Obviously, it hasn’t been an easy year for me,” Palhinha admitted, “but I'm also very motivated to—as soon as the season starts—prove my worth once again, at a very special club like Bayern, a huge club.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Prove My Worth’—Bayern Munich Midfielder Responds to Arsenal Transfer Speculation.
