Joelinton can help Newcastle United relive the glory of the yesteryears
According to the Sun, Newcastle United are set to break their club-record transfer fee to sign Brazilian forward Joelinton from Hoffenheim, with the Magpies having already begun talks over a potential deal in the summer.
The same report claims that Newcastle are prepared to pay a staggering £52 million to bring the 22-year-old Bundesliga star to Tyneside, which would surpass the £21 million that they paid for Paraguayan playmaker Miguel Almiron in January.
Signed by Hoffenheim back in 2015, Joelinton made only a single appearance in the Bundesliga before being loaned out to Austrian giants Rapid Wien for a couple of seasons. As a result of his fine performances on his loan spell, the Brazilian was recalled by Hoffenheim at the start of the current campaign and has enjoyed his breakout season in the Bundesliga, accumulating an impressive 10 goals and 9 assists from 29 appearances across all competitions.
A fast, agile, technically-gifted and tactically-versatile attacker, Joelinton is essentially a centre-forward by trade but he has also been used as a wide forward on either flank and in a No.10 role owing to his playmaking abilities. Known for his exceptional close control in tight areas, blistering pace, silky dribbling skills and eye for goal, the Brazilian is also adept at using his tall and slender build to win the aerial balls inside the box. To go with his pace and skills, he is also capable of holding on to the ball and linking up with his teammates to create chances in the final third.
While his clinical nature in front of goal and quality on the ball are certainly invaluable assets to any team, Joelinton has also shown with his performances that he is a player blessed with fantastic vision. He often uses his elegance and crisp passing to good effect in and around the penalty area, teeing up his teammates with flick-ons or layoffs, whilst also having the skill set to execute defence-splitting through balls from the wings. As a matter of fact, he has also been used in a false nine role due to his superior technique and well-rounded attributes.
To put things into perspective, Joelinton, with his goalscoring and playmaking prowess, would be a hugely inspirational signing for Rafael Benitez’s misfiring side. Given that Newcastle haven’t spent in excess of £20 million in their history, the kind of fee involved is likely to raise a few eyebrows, but few can argue that the capture of Joelinton can prove to be a massive coup for the Magpies.
Newcastle have struggled for goals this term and the lack of creativity in the final third has become a real cause of concern at Tyneside. West Brom loanee Salomon Rondon has kept them alive in the Premier League with some crucial goals but Newcastle have every reason to be disappointed with the displays of summer recruit Yoshinori Muto. Miguel Almiron is likely to take some time to settle down in the Premier League and someone like Joelinton can help the club improve massively in the final third by working in tandems with the Paraguayan.
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Considering that Magpies have one of the poorest goalscoring records in the Premier League this season, signing Joelinton in the summer would be a no-brainer for Benitez, although the fee involved might turn out to be a bit of an issue.
