da esport bet： Joelinton’s start to life at Newcastle United was not an easy one, as the £40m Brazilian regularly struggled in front of goal, with the signing looking like another waste of money by the Toon.
da dobrowin： However, after Eddie Howe’s arrival at St James’ Park, the former Hoffenheim man has been transformed into an all-action midfielder, with his superb performances for the Toon over the past year making a lot of pundits eat their words.
After Joelinton produced another disappointing display in a 1-1 draw against Wolves, talkSPORT pundit Danny Mills did not hold back in his criticism of Joelinton.
He said:
“No it’s not harsh, you can write him off.
“There has to be a point where you look at it and think, is it down to performances? Is he doing all the right things? Is he doing what the manager wants?
“Patrick Bamford at Leeds is still working very hard, and he’s still missing chances from time to time, is Joelinton doing the same sort of thing for Newcastle? I’m not convinced that he is.
“I think…the only problem for Newcastle is they don’t really have a replacement, that’s the issue isn’t it.
“Whoever spent that large amount of money, has some serious questions to answer.”
In total, Joelinton has contributed just 14 goals and nine assists in 125 appearances, which suggests that he is never going to be the clinical forward Newcastle fans hoped they were getting when he joined.
However, he has been one of Howe’s most consistent performers in the Premier League so far this season, with his 7.36 rating from WhoScored seeing him ranked as the second-best player in Newcastle’s squad.
He also ranks second for tackles, interceptions and dribbles per game this season, which emphasises his standout performances in his new role as a box-to-box midfielder at St James’ Park.
Joelinton is also beginning to win over pundits, with ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher singing his praises on Sky Sports after a 1-1 draw with Manchester United last season.
He said:
“He was brilliant. I must be honest, the last few weeks you hear supporters who watch Newcastle every game about how well he’s been doing midfield and sometimes you think well he hasn’t done so well at the top end of the pitch, and he’s just done okay in midfield.
“But that was an outstanding midfield performance by any standard and I mean any standard in terms of any midfield play. If you put in a performance like that against Manchester United we’ll be raving about it and rightly so, he’s man of the match.
“Running with the ball, he was a goal threat, winning the ball back – everything involved. The power, the strength he showed.”
Joelinton’s redemption at Newcastle has been a surprising but welcome one, and the Brazilian looks set to be a key part of Howe’s side this season as they no doubt eye a top-half finish in the Premier League.
Mills will certainly be regretting his comments on the Newcastle star two years ago, as Joelinton has shown that a willingness to work hard and adapt to a new position means you should never completely write a player off.