West Ham United target Joao Palhinha suffers injury in pre-season transfer blow
West Ham United may have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha with the Portuguese being forced off the field in the Cottagers’ pre-season win over Brentford with a shoulder injury according to the Daily Mail.
The Irons are reportedly one of many clubs with an interest in the 28-year-old, who Fulham value at a reported £60m, but any potential move out of Craven Cottage has been put in doubt by what seems to be a shoulder dislocation.
Having battled for a loose ball in the middle of the park, Palhinha fell to the floor in agony before slowly walking of the field with his arm in a makeshift sling made from his shirt and manager Marco Silva didn’t play down the seriousness of the injury after the game.
As quoted by the Daily Mail he said: “Unfortunately it doesn’t look good, Tomorrow [Monday] he has a scan, hopefully it is not a long-term injury.”
The injury comes only a day after reports indicated that Liverpool were also interested in securing the services of the Palhinha, but it remains unclear if a move will happen if the midfielder is side-lined.
Time to look elsewhere?
West Ham and David Moyes have been clear in the admiration of Palhinha throughout this transfer window and their interest is understandable as they look to replace Declan Rice, but this injury may just be their sign to look elsewhere.
The Portuguese would be ideal fit for this role, but his price-tag has only been increasing over the last few weeks and £60m is a fee a lot higher than the Irons had originally intended to pay.
With the start of the Premier League season now only weeks away, the Hammers need midfielders through the door quickly to make an impact and if the injury to Palhinha is as serious as it appears, he won’t be able to have that effect.
Moyes has had plenty of other midfield targets on his radar, including Juventus’ Denis Zakaria and Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse and this latest hiccup in pursuit of Palhinha might be the indicator to suggest it’s time to move on to different targets.
In other West Ham news, the Irons remain interested in German defender Jonathan Tah