Bayern Munich sign Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha: Decoding his stats
Bayern Munich announced the signing of Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha on July 11. As per SkySports, Palhinha has joined for a fee worth up to £47.4m. Bayern will initially pay Fulham £43.2m for the Portugal midfielder, besides an additional £4.2m in add-ons. For Fulham, this is a club-record sale. Palhinha signed a four-year deal at the Allianz Arena. We decode why Bayern signed Palhinha.
'This is one of the happiest days of my life'
"This is one of the happiest days of my life. I'm now playing for one of the top clubs in Europe. It's a dream come true for me, and I'm very proud of that," said Palhinha. He also wants to enjoy success with Bayern and win titles and stated he will give it his all.
Palhinha's career numbers before moving to Fulham
Defensive midfielder Palhinha started his career with Portuguese side Sporting, making 95 first-team appearances in total and scoring seven goals after coming through the academy. In between, he was sent on loan to Moreirense and Belenenses. He made 18 and 32 appearances respectively. In 2018-19 and 2019-20, Palhinha spent his time on loan at Braga. He made 76 appearances and scored six goals.
How did Palhinha fare at Fulham?
Across two seasons, Palhinha made 79 appearances for the Cottagers and scored eight goals. He scored seven goals and clocked one assist in 68 Premier League games.
His overall Premier League stats
Palhinha managed to attempt 84 shots with 23 of them being on target. He smashed the woodwork once. He provided 168 accurate long balls. Palhinha made 300 tackles with a success rate of 53%. He also made 92 interceptions, 113 clearances and 407 recoveries. He won 113 aerial duels and clocked 25 successful 50/50s.
Palhinha's stats in Premier League 2023-24
Palhinha made 33 appearances for Fulham in the Premier League 2023-24 season. He scored four goals. As per Squawka comparison matrix (data by Opta), Palhinha clocked 33 shots (excluding blocks) with 14 of them on target. He attempted 1,321 passes, completing 1,097. He completed 496 passes in the opposition half. Palhinha completed 11 take-ons in addition to making 54 clearances and 46 interceptions.
How did he fare for Portugal at Euro 2024?
Palhinha played four matches for national team Portugal in the 2024 European Championship. He attempted 188 passes and completed 166 of them. He completed 87 of his passes in the opposition half. Palhinha made 15 tackles and completed one take-on. He won eight aerial duels and 22 ground duels. Palhinha made six clearances and eight interceptions. He completed three lay-offs.
