Q & A on Wolves target João Palhinha

Naturally, Wolverhampton Wanderers are linked with just about every Portuguese talent in the media – and they usually sign them. Sporting midfielder João Palhinha is one of those who are currently strongly linked with a move to Molineux. 

With that in mind, we spoke with Playmaker’s Portuguese football expert (and Sporting fan!) Richard Cole about his thoughts on the Portugal international and his touted transfer. 

1. Palhinha is being touted as a possible replacement for Ruben Neves in Wolves midfield - are they similar players?

They play in similar positions but their best styles are different. I think of Neves as more of a deep playmaker, which is something that isn’t João Palhinha’s best attribute.

That’s not to say that Palhinha can’t do those things, he still has some impressive passing range and is really great at spreading the ball out to his wing backs who are always high up the pitch.

Overall, Palhinha is more defensively adept than Ruben Neves. He’s a tenacious tackler and his position is sound, so he’s great at stopping opposition attacks and cleaning up in midfield.

©Miguel Cardoso / Kapta+

Yes, he was always one of the ones who looked destined to make it. He joined from Sacavenense when he was 17 and started making into the Portugal youth teams from that point onwards.

Sporting fans were always high on the player, and it helped that he always gave his all on the pitch, but it was frustrating at times to see him not make the first team often under Jorge Jesus before being loaned out to two seasons at Braga. Especially because he was great during his stints at Braga while Sporting’s defensive midfield options were all pretty dire.

There was a worry he was going to be sold after that two-year loan spell but Rúben Amorim, who coached him at Braga, was instrumental in keeping him at the club.

3. Sporting have other highly-regarded midfielders in their midst, such as Matheus Nunes and Manuel Ugarte, is Palhinha considered the best of the bunch?

He definitely was at one point, during the 20/21 season when the midfield two was usually Palhinha and João Mário, he was probably the most important and best player in that title-winning team alongside centre-back Sebastián Coates.

However, the emergence of Matheus Nunes and particularly the arrival of Manuel Ugarte in the summer has given him some real competition in midfield. Daniel Bragança isn’t bad either!

So, while he’s no longer far and above the best midfielder at the club or the lynchpin in the team, that’s more because of the improvements in midfield and the overall squad than it is about his ability.

4. Do you think Palhinha's 'Premier League ready' and would make a positive impact in the English top flight?

Definitely, at this point it seems the most logical time for him to make the jump is now. He turns 27 in July and is coming up to his prime years.

I don’t think he’ll have any trouble adjusting either, he’s got the physical capabilities to compete with the hustle and bustle of the Premier League so he should adapt better than say, Adrien Silva did (or didn’t) at Leicester City.

He’s certainly got the diligence and work rate to fit in.

©Kapta+

He didn’t really have any until this season, so it’s difficult to know whether those concerns are still there or if it’s just a one-off unlucky year.

At the start of the season, he was pretty much an ever-present in the team as he had been all of the previous campaign. But then he got an injury in November and perhaps returned too early as he was never quite able to shake it off.

It felt like we didn’t see the best of Palhinha in 2022. However, I think that if he has a nice, relaxing summer he can return to his best next season – wherever he ends up. So, I’d probably say that it’s just a minor concern for now.

6. Do you realistically see Palhinha leaving Sporting this summer - if so, what do you think the price tag will be?

I think it’s almost certain that he’ll leave. In fact, he’s already been replaced so it would be a surprise if he didn’t go.

Manuel Ugarte, who’s only 20, filled Palhinha’s boots so well after the injury that he was arguably the better of the two players when you look at the entire 21/22 campaign. Sporting have also signed another midfielder, Hidemasa Morita from Santa Clara, who is likely to be Ugarte’s deputy as the holding player while Nunes and Bragança take turns to create.

In that respect, I think he could end up being sold for much less than he’s actually worth. Sporting fans will tell you he’s worth about £30-40m and his release clause is about £52m. But sadly I can see him going for about £20m; Portuguese clubs always need the cash and it seems that the club are already prepared for his exit.

He’s a Jorge Mendes client too, so that certainly helps things if he's going to Wolves – I think it's very likely he'll be there next season.

𝙈𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 @Cristiano 🙅‍♂️

Palhinha voou, marcou e celebrou como o 👑 #LeõesNasSelecções #MadeInSporting

📺 @SPORTTVPortugal | 📸 FPF/Diogo Pinto pic.twitter.com/2lPA00BbLG

— Sporting Clube de Portugal (@Sporting_CP) October 13, 2021