A new era is officially underway at Newcastle United. Matthias Jaissle took charge of his first game earlier this week, defeating Valencia 2-1 in a friendly courtesy of goals from Yoane Wissa.
The new manager admitted that there’s still a lot to work on, but a lot of that work may well come outside the technical area and in the transfer market.
After losing both Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, the Magpies’ desperate search for a midfielder has seen Joao Palhinha enter their radar.
|
Most tackles in the Premier League 2025/26 |
Player |
Club |
Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
James Garner |
Everton |
119 |
|
2 |
João Palhinha |
Tottenham Hotspur |
110 |
|
3 |
João Gomes |
Wolves |
107 |
|
4 |
Tyrick Mitchell |
Crystal Palace |
103 |
|
5 |
Mateus Fernandes |
West Ham United |
103 |
|
6 |
Adrien Truffert |
Bournemouth |
103 |
|
7 |
Elliot Anderson |
Nottingham Forest |
101 |
|
8 |
Neco Williams |
Nottingham Forest |
93 |
|
9 |
Florentino |
Burnley |
90 |
|
10 |
Casemiro |
Manchester United |
89 |
Palhinha is not of the same ilk as Guimaraes and Tonali, but that should give fans a clue about Jaissle’s stye.
He is very much of the Jurgen Klopp and Ralf Rangnick mold and values high-pressing to win possession back quickly. Palhina, as one of the best tacklers in the Premier League last season, therefore makes sense as a target.
The same can be said for Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and it looks set to be one or the other between him and Palhinha. It won’t make Newcastle’s midfield pretty, but it could be effective as Jaissle ushers in a new style.
Newcastle now eyeing Joao Palhinha
As reported by the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, Newcastle are now eyeing a move to sign Palhinha from Bayern Munich. Previous reports have claimed that Bayern Munich are desperate to sell the former Fulham man and have set their asking price at €30m (£26m).
That hands Newcastle the chance to land a bargain deal if they turn their interest into an offer. That will likely rely on the success of their Hojbjerg pursuit, however. With talks ongoing to sign the Marseille midfielder, Palhinha remains an alternative for the time being.
The question that the Magpies ask themselves is whether Palhinha would actually be a better option. The numbers certainly do the talking for him in that regard.
Only Everton’s James Garner made more tackles in the Premier League last season and it’s worth noting that Palhinha scored the goal to keep Spurs up on the final day of last season.
Compared to Hojbjerg, the Portuguese has had more recent Premier League experience, played at a higher level and would also come at a bargain price. On paper, Palhinha makes perfect sense.