It took more than a year for Bayern Munich to complete their pursuit of midfielder Joao Palhinha from Fulham.
The German giants were closing in on a move for the Portugal international in the summer of 2023, only for a deal to collapse at the 11th hour on deadline day.
Bayern finally got their man this summer, when the 29-year-old was snapped up from the Cottagers in a deal that could be worth as much as £47million as he linked up with new boss Vincent Kompany.
Joao Palhinha discusses slow Bayern Munich start
Bayern supporters will have been hoping for a quick impact from their new signing, who FourFourTwo ranked as the third-best defensive midfielder in the world earlier this year, but this has not been the case.
Palhinha has made just one start from Bayern’s opening six Bundesliga games and has played just 127 minutes in the competition so far, as he struggles to move past Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Konrad Laimer in the pecking at the Allianz Arena.
This comes in stark contrast to his form at Fulham which was strong enough to convince Bayern to trail him for a year and spend almost £50million bringing him to the club.
The player himself has now had his say on his slow start after linking up with the Portugal squad for their Nations League fixtures against Poland and Scotland and he struck a defiant tone.
“I know that my time at FC Bayern will come,” he told Sport BILD. That’s why I work hard every day. I fight to get my chance. To be honest, I’m not interested in the talk about whether I might lose patience.
“I know that my time at FC Bayern will come. That’s why I work hard every day. I fight to get my chance. To be honest, I’m not interested in the talk about whether I might lose patience.”
VIDEO: Why Enzo Maresca's Chelsea Are The Real Deal
“What is said or interpreted from the outside is not important. I’m in this big club because I believe in myself. In my career, things like this have often been said: Will he make it? Will he get playing time? We’re only at the beginning.”
Portugal will look to continue their unbeaten Nations League start this week and Palhinha is looking to his homeland for inspiration.
“There’s a saying in Portugal that’s a motto for me. What is it? It’s not about how it starts – it’s about how it ends,” he added. “I’m just concentrating on my work, on the training sessions. I’m ready. Whether I play 90, 45 or just five minutes: I’ll fight for every moment.”
