Everton enter Joao Palhinha transfer race amidst Tottenham Hotspur interest
According to the French publication Jeunes Footeux (h/t Liverpool Echo), Everton are the entrants in the race for the services of Sporting star Joao Palhinha amidst interest from Tottenham Hotspur for a transfer. He has steadily started to attract attention from several European clubs following his rise over the past two years or so.
Palhinha is under contract with the Portuguese side until 2026, but that has not stopped him from getting linked with a move elsewhere. His contribution to helping them win the league last season, coupled with his breakthrough in the national team, certainly has played a role in the increased demand for his services.
Tottenham have already expressed their interest in the Portuguese international, but now the Toffees have entered the fray as well. Wolverhampton Wanderers are also in the mix, with Sevilla being tipped to be another potential destination for the defensive midfielder.
Can Spurs beat the competition?
The Merseysiders’ interest would certainly cause issues for us despite the dire circumstance they are going through at this moment. After all, more competitors mean more obstacles for us to overcome, which does not bode well if we want to quickly finalise a transfer.
Midfield is an area that could use some reinforcements this summer since we only have four options in our squad right now. Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele could return from the loan spells, but their future could lie away from North London since Antonio Conte allowed them to depart on loan to begin with.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Oliver Skipp and Harry Winks are a solid set of options, but that may not be enough in a long season. Skipp’s current injury blow shows how one setback could seriously put our depth in question, especially when we would engage on multiple fronts after this term.
Hence, signing Palhinha could seriously help to add more quality and depth to our midfield options for the next campaign. However, Frank Lampard’s side would look to steal a march on us, although dropping down to the Championship could seriously dampen their chances to facilitate a move.
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We must also keep an eye out for Wolves and Julen Lopetegui’s side as they are in a far better place than the Liverpool based club. One could say they would probably be our serious competitors, which means we must be wary of them at all costs.
Sporting are completely in control over Palhinha’s future due to his long contract, so only time will tell how Fabio Paratici would handle this situation and whether he can back Antonio Conte by bringing in the holding midfielder.
