Eddie Howe has been an exceptional head coach at Newcastle United.
Ever since Howe was appointed Newcastle boss in 2021 fans have believed a trophy could be on the horizon.
The 47-year-old nearly made that a reality in 2023. reaching the Carabao Cup final where Newcastle were beaten by Manchester United at Wembley.
His work to gel new arrivals into Newcastle’s squad and starting XI has been admirable. The likes of Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali have been able to hit the ground running on Tyneside. Even with Tonali’s suspension, he returned to the side like it was nothing.
This season is no different either – after an initially shaky start, Newcastle are flying in the Premier League, they sit just a point off an automatic Champions League spot with less than half of the season to go.
Howe’s top performers have shone in that time, but there’s one star, in particular, former Newcastle boss Graeme Souness has singled out for their transformation under Howe’s influence.
Graeme Souness on Joelinton’s transformation
When Joelinton joined Newcastle for a then-club record fee in 2019, there was apprehension amongst the fanbase as to who he was and how he’d perform in the Premier League.
It’s safe to say it wasn’t the best of starts for the Brazilian. Initially signed as a centre-forward, Joelinton struggled in front of goal in his first season at Newcastle scoring just four times in 44 appearances.
In 89 appearances under former Toon boss Steve Bruce, he scored just 10 goals and bagged eight assists.
Bruce admitted Joelinton wasn’t a player he signed at Newcastle, claiming the deal to bring him in had already been completed before he was appointed head coach in the summer of 2019.
Joelinton looked like a lost cause before Howe came in. It was a stroke of luck that made him move into midfield, a Ciaran Clark red card against Norwich forced Howe to make drastic changes including shifting Joelinton to the midfield. He bossed the game and since then has been recognised as an unstoppable force.
Former Newcastle boss Souness was full of praise for Howe in his column in the Daily Mail. He claimed that shifting Joelinton to midfield is one of the best decisions Howe has ever made.
“The idea to switch Joelinton from a striker to a midfielder must be one of the best decisions Eddie Howe has ever made.
“The transformation has been incredible.
“When he arrived from Hoffenheim with a £40million price tag, it was evident immediately that he was going to struggle to be a goalscoring centre forward with his qualities in our league.
“But his change to midfielder has made him a player that no-one in the Premier League will enjoy playing against. He’s big, strong, is up for the fight, athletic, and a good passer of the ball. He complements those around him extremely well. The only criticism I have is that he is capable of scoring more goals like he did against Manchester United last month.”
Joelinton under Howe compared to Bruce
The Brazilian has become a focal point in Newcastle’s starting XI in recent years and it’s no different this season.
So far this season, Joelinton has made 19 appearances in the Premier League scoring four goals and bagging one assist.
Even as a midfielder, Joelinton has registered better attacking returns under Howe than he ever did with Bruce – the highlight is a six-goal and two-assist 2022/23 campaign where he helped Newcastle qualify for the Champions League.
| Games under Steve Bruce | G/A under Steve Bruce | Games under Eddie Howe | G/A under Eddie Howe | |
| Joelinton | 89 | 18 | 117 | 27 |
It’s fair to say that he’ll go down in history as one of the club’s most influential players during a huge momentum shift.
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