Marco Silva claims Joao Palhinha had ‘one of the toughest days of his life’ after the Fulham star’s move to Bayern Munich collapsed on deadline day
Joao Palhinha had been on a verge of a deadline day transfer to Bayern Munich
The midfielder’s move collapsed when Fulham could not secure a replacement
Fulham head coach Marco Silva has been sympathetic to Palhinha’s situation
Fulham boss Marco Silva has claimed Joao Palhinha will need the support of fans and team-mates after seeing a dream move to German champions Bayern Munich collapse on deadline day.
Palhinha had been pictured in Munich in anticipation of his transfer being completed before the deadline on Friday.
The midfielder had been seen arriving at Bayern Munich alongside a shirt ahead of a photoshoot.
Palhinha’s move had been set to go through on the condition that Fulham had found a suitable replacement, but the Cottagers were unable to secure one.
This led to the transfer, which would have been Fulham’s record sale of up to £70m, collapsing due to the German transfer deadline passing.
Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha’s transfer to Bayern Munich collapsed on deadline day
Palhinha was left out of Fulham’s squad for their 4-1 loss to Man City on Saturday.
Silva admitted the midfielder had endured a ‘tough day’ after seeing a move to ‘one of the biggest clubs in the world’ fall through.
It was a tough day for him, definitely, probably one of the toughest days of his life,’ Silva said, as reported by the BBC.
‘He loves Fulham, he loves football, he loves to be with us.
‘He had the fantastic season last season and he’s always a player that gives 100% for the shirt but he had a big chance to go to one of the biggest clubs in the world and he was really close.
‘You can imagine the impact that has on a football player when these type of things happen.
‘He is going to need support from all of us – the coaching staff, our fans and his team-mates.’
Bayern Munich’s interest in Palhinha had followed the midfielder starring for Fulham in his debut season at the club.
Palhinha made 35 appearances in the Premier League last season, with his display’s crucial to helping Silva’s side exceeded expectations to finish tenth on their return to the top flight.
The Portuguese midfielder was initially priced at £90m by Fulham, as initial interest from West Ham came to replace Declan Rice.
Palhinha had previously been the subject of interest from Liverpool, but the Reds ultimately opted not to make an offer.
