West Ham United could be dealt a serious blow by Arsenal in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal and West Ham will be both be very active during the summer transfer window.
Graham Potter has been pleased with the West Ham fans support so far, but he needs to start delivering some results now.
The Hammers have endured an incredibly frustrating 2024/25 campaign on the whole.
In order to turn things around and be competitive in the 2025/26 season, Graham Potter needs to drastically strengthen his squad at the London Stadium this summer.
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
One area where the Hammers head coach absolutely has to strengthen is his central midfield department, with more power and ball-carrying ability required.
However, it seems like Arsenal could be set to scupper one of Potter’s key plans in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal move to hijack West Ham’s key move to sign Joao Palhinha
The Hammers and the Gunners are both keen to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha this summer, according to Caught Offside.
Back in March 2024, Joao Palhinha said he received an offer from West Ham in the summer of 2023, but he remained with Fulham in the end.
The 29-year-old then joined Bayern for around £48m in the summer of 2024 (ESPN).
However, he has failed to make much of an impact with the Bavaraian giants, and a return to the Premier League could well be on for him.
Palhinha has played just 14 Bundesliga games for Bayern this season, and has been given only six starts (Who Scored).
Photo by Valerio Pennicino – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Despite the Portuguese midfielder’s struggles with Bayern, he would be absolutely perfect for the Hammers.
That’s why Arsenal’s interest in signing him is such an inconvenience for us.
Arsenal signing Joao Palhinha would hurt West Ham
The midfield colossus is an absolute powerhouse of a player. He eats up ground, is aggressive in the tackle, has incredible positional awareness as he is really press resistant when in possession as well.
In 33 Premier League appearances for Fulham last season, he averaged 4.6 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per game.
He also made 195 ball recoveries, won 259 duels and made zero errors leading to goals (Premier League website).
His energy, athleticism and power in the middle of the park is what the Hammers so desperately crave right now.
Unfortunately for West Ham though, Arsenal are said to be in the hunt for Joao Palhinha’s signature this summer.
And there is no way we will be able to compete with them.