£18m ace to miss training with Fulham move imminent, agrees 4-year deal

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Joao Palhinha will miss the beginning of pre-season training at Sporting Lisbon as the Premier League-bound midfielder closes in on an £18 million move to Fulham, as reported by Portuguese publication Zero Zero. 

If anything sums up the difference between preparing for life in the Championship and preparing for life in the Premier League, it’s Fulham’s decision to release Jean-Michael Seri while investing 20 million euros in Palhinha.

Seri, Marco Silva’s go-to number six for most of last season, is certainly more of a ball-player rather than a ball-winner. 

With Fulham steamrollering most other teams in the division, the former Everton and Watford boss could get away with using Seri as a deep-lying, tempo-setting, string-pulling playmaker at the heart of his midfield. 

It almost goes without saying, however, that Fulham won’t be able to swagger and saunter their way through the top-flight like they did in the second-tier. If Seri’s job was to start attacks, then it’s Palhinha’s job to stop them. His positional sense, mobility and physicality could prove invaluable.

Fulham on verge of sealing £18m Joao Palhinha deal

Palhinha averaged three successful tackles per game in 2021/22. Seri; 1.4. What’s more, Palhinha averages more interceptions too, while standing nearly a foot taller than the now-unattached Ivorian (WhoScored).

So Palhinha’s arrival, coupled with Seri’s departure, feels like an acknowledgement of the tactical changes Fulham must make if they are to avoid a repeat of 2019 and 2021. An acceptance of the fact that Fulham are likely to spend much of next season on the back foot.

“I’ve seen him play for Portugal. And, I tell you what, I was really impressed with him,” Cottagers legend Danny Murphy tells talkSPORT of Palhinha. “This looks like a steal!”  

It certainly does. Fulham will reportedly pay £18 million up front, while handing Palhinha a four-year deal at Craven Cottage worth £40,000-a-week. He’s hardly cheap, then, but it must be said that Sporting were demanding far, far more than that in previous transfer windows. 

According to ZeroZero, Palhinha won’t be at Sporting’s training ground ahead of pre-season training. It is expected that he will be unveiled in West London in the coming days.