Joao Palhinha: The Villa Park game that made Unai Emery take notice of Aston Villa's new obsession

Joao Palhinha is the subject of transfer discussions between Aston Villa and Bayern Munich.

The Villans have been quick to digest Amadou Onana's new devastating injury that will keep him out of action for the rest of the year, with a replacement plan in place.

Though Unai Emery's side has had a slower start than hoped for in the summer window, the pace most likely comes down to Morgan Rogers' uncertain future.

The England international could be heading to Arsenal in a deal worth over £100million, which would surely spark Villa's transfer activity into life.

However, Roberto Olabe and Co. are already planning for the definite options they want to see at Villa Park this summer.

Palhinha is one of them, and Villa are working with Bayern Munich to find an agreement.

The game that Unai Emery may have made up his mind on Joao Palhinha

Palhinha spent last season on loan with Tottenham, who narrowly escaped relegation thanks to the midfielder's contributions.

Despite helping keep the Lilywhites up, Spurs decided against signing him on a permanent deal.

Now, according to Birmingham Live correspondent John Townley, the Villans are in talks with Bayern Munich over a possible loan deal for the 31-year-old.

The update comes after reports jumped the gun in claiming the former Fulham star was headed to B6 to finalise a deal on Saturday, though an agreement does feel close.

Emery may have been left impressed by Palhinha during Tottenham's 2-1 win over his side in May, as the midfielder had a game to remember in challenging circumstances.

Though the pressure was turned on to the maximum for his side, Palhinha dug deep in the match to show his skill, boasting a 90 per cent pass accuracy, while also making a whopping 10 defensive contributions.

He won 67 per cent of his ground duels and covered 10.0 kilometres, making nine sprints in the match

It would be no surprise if this were the performance that alerted Emery. But can he replace Onana?

Is Palhinha a good replacement for Amadou Onana?

Onana's cruciate ligament injury will likely keep him out until March of 2027, unless he can recover quicker than expected.

Douglas Luiz has also left the club for a second time following the expiration of his short-term loan deal, with the gaping hole in the squad clear now.

Palhinha narrowly edged Onana's FotMob rating by 0.04 in the Premier League last season, managing five more goal involvements than the Belgium international.

He also made around 1.17 tackles more than the Villa man on average per game, with a better dribble rate too.

More importantly, Palhinha was available for Tottenham, something Onana struggles with for Villa.

Availability is sometimes the best ability, and Palhinha could even be an upgrade.