Why Joao Palhinha would not be the statement signing some Everton fans think he’d be

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Everton have already made one midfield addition this summer, but there could be room for more on Merseyside.

Idrissa Gana Gueye’s future at Everton remains uncertain as the Senegal international will now be able to decide on his next step after World Cup elimination this week.

The Toffees are not looking to wait around on Gueye as Everton announced Hayden Hackney’s arrival on Thursday.

However, as mentioned above, there could still be more midfield arrivals heading to Finch Farm over the coming weeks.

One name being mentioned among some Everton supporters is Joao Palhinha, who is in search of his next opportunity after Tottenham Hotspur passed up on signing him permanently.

Everton supporters would like to see Joao Palhinha signed this summer

As Gueye is yet to accept Everton’s contract extension offer, the Blues are scouring the market for potential replacements.

Everton are interested in Mandela Keita from Italian outfit Parma.

A direct replacement for Gueye to provide a midfield anchor in front of the defence is seemingly what is on the radar of Angus Kinnear.

Now Hackney is confirmed, who should Everton be bringing in next? 💰

Time to take our foot off the brake pedal in the market…

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Over recent years in the Premier League, there have not been many better tacklers of the ball than Palhinha.

The Portuguese midfielder spent the 2025/26 season out on loan with Tottenham, but the north London side have not taken up the option to buy him permanently from Bayern Munich.

It must be stressed that Everton have not been directly linked to the 30-year-old, but there are some supporters online who’d like to see him on Merseyside.

However, he may not quite be the signing that many feel he would be.

Why Everton supporters could quickly grow frustrated by Joao Palhinha

During his stint in north London, Palhinha actually scored some fairly crucial goals to help keep the Lilywhites in the Premier League.

Across his 33 Premier League appearances, Palhinha started 23 times in the defensive midfield role.

Only James Garner completed more tackles in the Premier League last season than Palhinha, which is the Portuguese midfielder’s standout quality.

There will never be any doubting Palhinha’s ability to win back possession, but it is once he has the ball at his feet where the questions really lie.

When comparing the data from Palhinha and Gueye’s 2025/26 campaign, the limitations of Palhinha’s passing ability stand out significantly.

In every aspect of the game with the ball in possession, Palhinha is considerably outperformed by Gueye.

Everton are open to selling Tim Iroegbunam this summer as they are yet to see any improvement in his passing game.

Comparing the 22-year-old’s season to Palhinha, there are a number of similarities, but Palhinha is not of the age where sudden improvements will be expected.

Iroegbunam actually outperformed Palhinha defensively, which is the veteran’s key trait.

There is no doubting that Palhinha’s possible signing would raise a few eyebrows given the midfielder’s reputation over the years, but the limitations in his game are already affecting Everton through players such as Iroegbunam.