Why Joao Palhinha is exactly what Aston Villa need as chief speaks out
Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha could prove to be the ideal next signing for Aston Villa.
There has been plenty of business in and out of Villa Park this summer.
The likes of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans have already moved on and certainly need replacing.
Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes respectively have come in to do exactly that, but Villa aren't done there.
With an injury set to rule out Amadou Onana for almost the entire campaign, at least one more fresh face is necessary.
That could prove to be Palhinha as the Bayern Munich man looks to be the perfect alternative to the Belgian.
How does Joao Palhinha compare to Amadou Onana?
It was such a massive blow to see the 24-year-old forced off against America at the World Cup
He hadn't even been a regular for the Red Devils, which arguably makes things worse.
Regardless, he won't be featuring for the Villans for a large portion of next season.
Onana is famed for his aerial ability, tough tackling and interception qualities in the middle of the park, two things that Palhinha excels in.
The Portugal international compares very directly to the Villa man and even put up better numbers in times possession won, key passes and progressive passes last campaign.
That sees him feature a similar spider graph as the similarities between the two are clear to see.
It is proof that the signing of Palhinha isn't a panic buy and is actually a smart piece of business that replicates what Villa will seriously miss in the upcoming season.
Damian Vidagany gives Palhinha transfer update at Aston Villa
There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the 31-year-old this summer.
He isn't wanted at Bayern Munich and a deal looked to be on the cards several weeks ago.
That didn't happen, but it still appears to be on the cards.
Villa faced Bayern in pre-season on Friday and Palhinha featured off the bench for the final 27 minutes.
The midfielder didn't do much, but his appearance did prompt Damian Vidagany to speak out on his potential B6 move.
Speaking at full-time, the director of football operations said: "We need a player for midfield because Amadou Onana is out for the entire season and Joao Palhinha is a very good player who would fit our plans.
"We are in talks, but there is currently no agreement. The great respect we have for Bayern Munich. We are friendly clubs, our relationship with Max Eberl, Christoph Freund and all the other officials is excellent. That is why I cannot and do not want to comment on any further details."
That sums up how highly regarded Palhinha is at Bodymoor Heath and points towards a deal going through at some stage.