Man Utd’s Rodri? Ten Hag transfer target given £60m asking price

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 15 Apr 2023 12:34 BST
• 12 min read

Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha is the latest midfielder to be linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer.

The Red Devils are known to be on the lookout to strengthening the centre of the park, with Scott McTominay potentially the player who could be sold to make way.

Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are two of the options that are open to the Old Trafford club, but faced with uncertainty over their ownership come the start of the summer transfer window plus potential fees in excess of £100 million for both these players, the Red Devils could look elsewhere.

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Portugal international Palhinha is a player that Erik ten Hag’s side are now being linked with via the Metro.

With an asking price of £60m, the 27-year-old won’t come cheap, particularly as the player has an Estimated Transfer Value in the region of £17m (€19m).

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Is Palhinha worth £60m?

Mark Goldbridge of the United Stand, though, believes that he is worth the investment.

“He’s very, very good at reading the game, getting on the ball and feeding the forwards,” he said.

“If I could think of a similar Man Utd midfielder – and I’m not saying they’re identical – it wouldn’t be a Paul Scholes or a Roy Keane, it would be a Michael Carrick. I think that sort of a midfielder - a Rodri – is really conducive to what Ten Hag wants. He’s also a really decent alternative to Casemiro, who is really unique

“I’d be really interested in this deal. He’s overpriced but when you look at the midfielder market – Caicedo going for £80m but should be £60m, Rice going for £100m but should be £60m, De Jong might not be available, Bellingham over £120m – so it’s an inflated market for people like this. But when it comes to talent and what he brings, I like the profile of Palhinha.”

Comparisons to Rodri, though, are unfair. Indeed, the Spain international is clearly a more technical player than Palhinha, who has been used as more of a ball winner by Fulham.

Palhinha vs Premier League midfielders 2022/23: Prevention

Data analytics experts SciSports show that Palhinha’s form with Fulham this season has perhaps been overrated to some extent, yet the midfielder does offer exceptional defensive qualities, particularly in terms of his prevention and pressing statistics.

The above interactive graphic shows how he fares against other Premier League midfielders in terms of his prevention.

With Man Utd at times leaky through the centre of their midfield, particularly when Casemiro is unavailable, such qualities are clearly attractive.