Joao Palhinha given ideal Premier League option that would help future England star

Newcastle have been told that the best thing they could do for themselves is sign Joao Palhinha.

That is the opinion of European football expert Andy Brassell, who believes there are few players on the market right now who would make a bigger difference to the Magpies than the midfielder.

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talkSPORT reporter Ben Jacobs recently revealed that the Toon Army are hoping to potentially get revenge on Aston Villa by winning the race for Palhinha after losing out to their rivals for Johan Manzambi.

Portugal international Palhinha has already been listed as one of three players that Bayern Munich are willing to sell this summer.

The ex-Fulham star returned to the Premier League last season after joining Tottenham on loan, scoring five goals in 33 appearances.

Palhinha scored twice in his first eight appearances for Spurs, who made early signals that they would be willing to take up the option to buy in his contract.

However, the 31-year-old fell out of the starting XI as the Lilywhites’ form took a nosedive and talkSPORT’s Alex Crook revealed in January that Tottenham were reconsidering their stance.

Palhinha enjoyed a late-season revival following Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment, and even scored the winner against Everton on the final day of last season to guarantee the club’s survival.

Yet Tottenham still opted not to sign Palhinha permanently and instead have left a gaping hole in Newcastle’s midfield after the capture of Sandro Tonali in a £100million deal.

New Magpies head coach Matthias Jaissle then saw captain Bruno Guimaraes also leave the north east in a £75m switch to Arsenal.

In their place, all of Newcastle’s outfield signings to date have been aged 20 and under, to make Palhinha’s experience near vital.

Discussing the race to sign the latter, with Manchester United also linked, Brassell told talkSPORT: “I think Newcastle is the one. I think they need him the most and he would be the most important there.

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Joao Palhinha to Newcastle latest

“Obviously we know Villa have followed him very closely,” Brassell continued. “Max Eberl, the sporting director of Bayern, said this weekend the deal is dead and he’s not going to come alive again.

“Now, never take anything like that at face value. But I feel that even though he’s a better player than Manuel Ugarte, it feels that Man United have been there before.

“The direction that they’re trying to develop them, I think they could probably do with someone who’s a little bit better on the ball.

“Not that Palhinha is terrible on the ball, but he’s known for something else, which is that big slide tackle, basically.

“I saw Newcastle at the weekend in the friendly against Leverkusen. There’s talent in that midfield, but there’s massively lacking in personality.

“There’s plenty of good players in the Newcastle squad, but you just look at them, and you think the whole personality that they built under Eddie Howe was due to being athletic and relentless in midfield.

“At the moment, you need someone to grab that midfield by the scruff of the neck.

“I love Lewis Miley, and I think he’s going to be an England player in future. He’s brilliant.

“But, as Matthias Jaissle pointed out after the game, he’s 20
and he’s just come back from a big injury. So, they can’t pile all that pressure on him.”

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Palhinha would be huge for Newcastle

Palhinha averaged 3.3 tackles per game for Spurs in the Premier League, alongside scoring five goals and registering two assists.

On what Newcastle are now missing, Brassell added: “I think what they need is a bit of direction would change everything about that team.

“To have someone to stand up, to be brave, to have personality, to set the tempo, to put the tackles in at the base of that midfield would really tighten everything up about that team.

“I think of all the players that they could go and buy at the moment at Newcastle, I can’t think of many who’d make a bigger difference than Joao Palhinha.

“We’ve talked before about sometimes the right signing is not the most pretty, not the most glamorous one, not the most expensive one, not the biggest-named one.

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“This is the best thing they could possibly do for themselves. Forget Felix Nmecha or Victor Froholdt or whoever else they’ve been linked with, who are great players.

“But they just need a guy who sounds obvious, knows the Premier League, you know he’s going to be brilliant in the Premier League and is just going to get these young guys up to level. I think that’s so important.

“Palhinha is very belt and braces, eat your vegetables or you’re not getting any pudding kind of thing.

“It would be such a gift to someone like Sean Steur who wouldn’t have been in the XI for Ajax this season.

“He’s got loads of talent but wouldn’t have been in the XI for Ajax this season. So to plonk him into the midfield and say you do your best Bruno G impression, it just doesn’t make any sense.

“I think Palhinha would be huge for Newcastle and they’d be huge for him.”