Wolves didn’t sign Joao Palhinha in the summer – and it is now starting to look like the club might pay for missing out.
Wolves were linked with the central midfield for weeks during the last window.
Reports suggested that Palhinha was a player club officials and former manager Bruno Lage admired.
At one point, it looked more likely than not that Wolves would sign the star from Sporting CP.
But then Fulham came to the table, and it didn’t take all that long for Wolves to drop out of the race, leaving the Cottagers to snap him up for around for around £17 million (BBC Sport).
The suggestions were that Wolves were waiting to sell Ruben Neves in order to make room for Palhinha, given the pair’s supposedly similar profiles.
But offers were not forthcoming for Neves, who stayed at the club and then became captain following the departure of Conor Coady.
Wolves then proceeded to sign Matheus Nunes and Boubacar Traore, with Leander Dendoncker leaving for Aston Villa.
Since joining Fulham, Palhinha has really impressed.
He’s played a big part in a brilliant start for Marco Silva’s side, who sit ninth after 15 games played.
Palhinha has made 14 appearances, missing just the one game as a result of picking up five yellow cards.
Fulham lost their last game against Manchester United. But Palhinha once again came in for high praise from fans on social media.
He is actually the subject of a great feature piece in The Athletic this morning, which highlights how effective he has been.
“To watch Palhinha in action is to marvel at a master at work,” it reads. “He is a Portuguese samurai sword in human form, slicing through opponents at will yet somehow leaving them unscathed.
The same article states that Palhinha has made 65 tackles in the league so far – which is 13 more than anyone else.
He’s also won 38 of those – the most of anyone in the league.
Wolves should still have signed Joao Palhinha despite keeping Ruben Neves
It is starting to feel like Wolves should have pushed a bit harder to sign Palhinha.
Wolves did end up keeping Neves. But the reality is that this is likely to be his last season at Molineux. His level is continually far higher than the rest of his teammates, and it does just feel as though it’ll finally be his time to move on.
It would be huge surprise if he stayed beyond the next summer window. Especially with his contract expiring in 2024.
Palhinha would have been the ideal replacement for him.
He’s not as good on the ball. But he is a really effective holding midfield in a different way to his international teammate.
He’s much more steely, as evidenced by those brilliant tackling statistics.
At £17 million, Fulham got themselves an absolute bargain.
And Wolves might just regret not bringing him in when they seemingly had the chance. The money was there all along, because Wolves went and splashed well over £100 million. So, it’s unclear why the club seemingly walked away, and it seems an oversight.