West Ham United have reportedly identified Fulham’s Joao Palhinha as their alternative target to replace Arsenal-bound Declan Rice this summer.
According to talkSPORT, West Ham United have made Fulham star Joao Palhinha their alternative summer target as they prepare for life without Declan Rice.
The Hammers snapped their 43-year trophy drought on Wednesday night when Jarrod Bowen’s last-minute winner clinched a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in the UEFA Europa Conference League final. Declan Rice became only the third West Ham captain to lift a major trophy, following in the footsteps of club icons Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds.
However, the game is expected to be his last in claret and blue amid strong interest from Arsenal. As such, West Ham are braced for bids to come in for Rice, as confirmed by Hammers owner David Sullivan in an interview with talkSPORT.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United are all interested in signing the 24-year-old, who is valued at £100 million, with the Gunners looking to get a £90 million deal done quickly.
João Palhinha in his debut Premier League season:
◉ Most duels won
◉ Most tackles made
◉ Most yellow cardsHe equalled the competition record for most bookings in a single campaign. ⚠️
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 29, 2023
Of course, losing Rice is a massive blow for Hammers fans. But his exit is surely going to open the door for the side to move forward and invest the incoming money properly. Sullivan also revealed they had to get a replacement — or several replacements — to fill the void Rice will inevitably leave.
The club have a list of targets for the coming window, including Kalvin Phillips, James Ward-Prowse, and Harvey Barnes. But it is Ajax’s Edson Alvarez and Fulham’s Joao Palhinha who have emerged as the club’s primary targets as like-for-like Rice replacements.
West Ham have made a late move to try and snatch the Mexican defensive midfielder away from the clutches of Borussia Dortmund. And while Ajax are ready to sell Alvarez, who was the subject of a bid from Chelsea last summer, they want £40 million plus £5 million in add-ons.
The Hammers will try to negotiate a lower price. But Dortmund have concrete interest in Alvarez and have money to spend following the blockbuster £88.5 million sale of Jude Bellingham. The Black and Yellows are confident they will be able to sign the Mexican midfield sensation.
So West Ham will turn to Joao Palhinha as Rice’s replacement. Palhinha was one of the stars for Fulham this season, as the London club sealed a solid mid-table finish in the Premier League this term, the Cottagers’ best finish to a top-flight season in 11 years, when they finished ninth in the 2011/12 campaign.
With 147 tackles in the Premier League in his debut campaign in England, Palhinha’s duties as a defensive midfielder and his ability to put in challenges, boasting 47 more tackles in league games this season than any other Premier League player, with an excellent tackle success percentage of 70.6%.
It is fair to say the 27-year-old midfielder proved to be a revelation following his £20 million switch to Craven Cottage. And keeping him is potentially going to be pivotal to how Marco Silva’s men perform in their second year back in the top flight. So it won’t be an easy task for the Hammers to prise him away from the Cottagers. But if they can pull it off, he could be an inspired signing for the London club.
