‘A true genuine football player’… Roberto Martinez wowed by ‘committed’ midfielder Arsenal trying to sign

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Roberto Martinez has given his verdict on Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, a player Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal want to sign.

Martinez is now the Portugal manager, and he rates Palhinha highly.

So, what has Roberto Martinez said about Arsenal target Joao Palhinha? Let’s take a look.

Praise for Arsenal target Joao Palhinha

Well, Roberto Martinez has been raving about Joao Palhinha, amid claims that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal want to sign the Fulham defensive midfielder.

Martinez is now the Portugal manager, and the former Everton boss seems to rate the 28-year-old highly.

Palhinha has been on the books of Fulham since 2022 and has established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

Bayern Munich were strongly linked with the former Sporting Lisbon star in the summer of 2023.

Arsenal are now interested in Palhinha. Earlier this month, TEAMtalk reported that the Gunners want to sign the midfielder in the January transfer window.

The report added that the agents of Palhinha have approached Arsenal over a potential transfer in January, claiming that the player himself “is pushing for a big move in the coming months”. Liverpool have been linked as well. Chelsea are also in the mix.

Martinez told The Times about Palhinha: “What I love about Palhinha is his journey to become a professional footballer. 

“Palhinha was three times told he wasn’t good enough. Now we all saw he was very close to signing for Bayern Munich, which is a club that is expected to win everything.

 “His journey has made him such a committed character, a true genuine football player. He gives the balance in our team. That stability and that strength of character to be always at the right place at the right time — Joao Palhinha gives us that.”

My View: Joao Palhinha good enough for Arsenal

In my view, Fulham defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha is good enough to play for Arsenal.

If a player is deemed capable of playing for Bayern Munich, then, in my opinion, he is certainly someone who can be a star at Arsenal.

Palhinha is 28 now and is at the top of his game. I believe that he would be able to make an immediate impact at Arsenal.

The defensive midfielder could play alongside Declan Rice, and perhaps that could help the England international to push forward and contribute more in attack.