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Joao Palhinha opens door to Fulham transfer exit - "We'll see what happens"
Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha is being linked with Bayern Munich again - and the Portugal international has refused to rule out a move in the upcoming transfer window

Joao Palhinha has refused to rule out a summer transfer amid interest from long-term admirers Bayern Munich.

The highly-rated Fulham midfielder, 28, was pursued by the German giants last year and even travelled to Munich before a deal collapsed on transfer deadline day.

Palhinha has since signed a new contract with Fulham, tying him to Craven Cottage until the summer of 2028. But Bayern are still lurking in the background - and while the Portugal international has admitted it's likely he will stay, he stopped short of ruling out a transfer altogether.

"At the moment, today, the likelihood is I stay at Fulham, but we'll see what happens," he told Flashscore. "I have immense respect for the Fulham organisation, people know what a professional I am and that's the example I want to pass on to the many kids who follow me and look up to me."

Fulham's failure to sign a replacement for Palhinha led to the collapse of his dream move. The former Sporting CP ace had even completed a medical with the Bundesliga outfit.

When he was pressed specifically on interest from Bayern Munich and the chances of resurrecting that move, Palhinha admitted he was none the wiser as to whether it could happen.

He continued: "I don't know if it's a closed door or not, everything in football is very uncertain. I can't say it's a closed or open door. I can't put myself in a position like that either.

"Today I want to focus more on the European Championships because that's the goal, to leave a good impression at the Euros, and then everything else will follow.

"People already know me. The fact that I'm in the Premier League means I'm in a very big shop window, probably the biggest of them all. The Euros is also a showcase that everyone is following all over the world."

Palhinha has made 79 appearances in total for Fulham since moving to the Premier League in the summer of 2022 and is widely recognised as one of the division's top defensive midfielders.

After missing out on the German title to Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich will look to rebuild under new head coach, Vincent Kompany. The former Manchester City captain was confirmed as Bayern's new boss earlier this week after the Bundesliga outfit agreed a compensation package with Burnley for the Belgian's services.



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/bayern-munich-fulham-joao-palhinha-32927669

Player of the Season: Final Five

Following the initial round of voting, the five Fulham players making up the final shortlist for Player of the Season are as follows:

    Calvin Bassey
    Bernd Leno
    Rodrigo Muniz
    João Palhinha
    Antonee Robinson

Voting is open from now until 10am on Friday 7th June, and you can choose your favourite at the bottom of this page.

Calvin Bassey

It's hard to believe that Calvin Bassey had never played in the Premier League prior to this season, such was the ease with which he took to life at Fulham.

After overcoming a testing first couple of games in which the needs of the team required him to operate as a right-sided centre-back, Bassey has been a colossus since moving over onto the left.

Numerous Fulham moves begin with the Nigeria international carrying the ball out of defence, while his pace and strength often get his team out of potentially sticky situations.

Throw in a brilliant opening goal in our first Old Trafford win in 21 years, and it's a campaign that he can look back on with significant pride.

Bernd Leno

Last season's runner-up, another highly consistent campaign – in which he was one of only six players to not miss a minute of the Premier League – has Bernd Leno amongst the frontrunners once again this time around.

He began 2023/24 with a Man of the Match display in our 1-0 win at Goodison Park, the first of 10 clean sheets Leno claimed this year – a number bettered only by Jordan Pickford and David Raya.

Leno has also been inducted into the Club's leadership group this season, and wore the Captain's armband on five occasions, three of which yielded clean sheets.

His form also saw him earn a deserved recall to the Germany squad, though unfortunately a minor shoulder issue means he will not be going to the European Championships in his homeland this summer.

Rodrigo Muniz

He's always been a hugely popular individual with fans, staff and teammates alike, but Rodrigo Muniz has taken his game to an entirely different level in 2023/24.

Following the departure of Aleksandar Mitrović, Marco Silva tried different options up top in Raúl Jiménez, Carlos Vinicius and Muniz, who impressed on his first Premier League start at home to Manchester United, only to depart in tears after picking up an injury that would sideline him for six weeks.

But 2024 went near perfectly for the striker. His sweet lob at Burnley was the first of eight goals struck in as many games, form which saw him become only the third Fulham player in our history to be named Premier League Player of the Month.

Muniz ended up as the Club's top scorer, reaching double figures across all competitions.

João Palhinha

The reigning Fulham Player of the Season, it's been another year of tackles and goals from João Palhinha.

As was the case in his maiden campaign in the Premier League, Palhinha topped the divisional charts for tackles made, with 152. That's 24 more than his closest competitor (international teammate João Gomes), and even surpasses the figure he managed in 2022/23 (148).

Palhinha also popped up with a number of crucial goals, with every one of his four efforts helping the Whites to secure a draw away from home, perhaps the most notable coming in the closing stages at the Emirates, as 10-man Fulham fought back against Arsenal.

Antonee Robinson

With vital contributions at both ends of the pitch, 2023/24 was arguably Antonee Robinson's finest season in a Fulham shirt.

One of the first names on the teamsheet, Robinson started 37 of our 38 Premier League fixtures, and would surely have registered an ever present campaign had a muscular injury picked up on international duty not ruled him out of our 1-0 win over Luton Town in September.

No player in the division made more interceptions than Robinson's 80, while his six assists was bettered by just three defenders – Pedro Porro, Vladimir Coufal and Kieran Trippier.

Having established an excellent linkup with Willian down the left, combined with his incredible engine, Robinson has been a real crowd pleaser this season.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2024/may/31/player-of-the-season-final-five/

West Ham United Are Facing Stiff Competition For This Leeds United Star: Is He Worth The Fight?
West Ham United are facing stiff competition for Leeds United star Crysencio Summerville as they look to strengthen their squad this summer.

In a recent report, The Sun stated that West Ham United are facing stiff competition for Leeds United star Crysencio Summerville this summer. It has been claimed that the Hammers would have to rival Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Liverpool in pursuit of the Dutch winger later this year.

Summerville's Impressive Form In The EFL Championship
Summerville has enjoyed an impressive campaign at Elland Road as he has managed to put in a lot of productive displays for Leeds in the final third. The 22-year-old has found the back of the net 21 times and picked up ten assists in 49 matches for the Whites this season across various competitions.

The Dutch talent has caught the eye on the left flank by averaging 3.0 shots, 2.6 key passes and 2.2 dribbles per 90 minutes in the EFL Championship. He has even been accurate with his ball distribution after completing 83.9% of his attempted passes in the second tier of English football (stats via whoscored).

Summerville's current contract at the Yorkshire club will run out in the summer of 2026 which could make it tough for the Hammers to arrange a cut-price deal for him in the upcoming transfer period.

West Ham United Are Facing Stiff Competition For Summerville: Is He Worth The Fight?
Summerville is a good dribbler with the ball and can engineer a few decent chances for others around him from the wide areas. He can strike the ball with venom from long range and has proven himself to be a consistent goal-getter in the EFL Championship this season. However, there are some question marks over whether the Dutch winger can maintain his good form in Premier Leaguefootball if West Ham manage to snap him up this summer.

Summerville would add more pace and dynamism to the East London club's attack. He has what it takes to fight for a regular starting place at the London Stadium next season.

At 22, Summerville has still got a lot of room to grow as a footballer. Hence, he would be well worth the fight, so the Hammers would be wise to try everything they can to lure him to the English capital when the transfer window reopens next month.



https://the4thofficial.net/2024/05/west-ham-united-are-facing-stiff-competition-for-this-leeds-united-star-is-he-worth-the-fight/