This season Joelinton has looked a totally different player for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United. The Brazilian has been transformed from a forward into a ball-winning and creative midfielder.
The 25-year-old has really impressed. He has been a key aspect of the midfield three that Howe has often gone for. Joe Willock and Jonjo Shelvey have also seen a resurgence of form, but Joelinton’s has been the most surprising.
Of all the players who have turned their form around, he’s been the most impressive. Especially when you consider that clearly, Howe noticed something some fans wouldn’t have. His work rate has been perfect for that role and shows how good of a coach Howe was for identifying it.
The numbers back up Joelinton’s impressive career revival
When he’s stepped onto the pitch, Joelinton has more often than not been one of the hardest-working players on the pitch. Of the midfield three, he’s often the one you notice on the pitch due to tackling and desire to win and drive with the ball.
Out of all the Magpies players so far this season, Joelinton, signed during the Steve Bruce era, has made 61 tackles this season. This is the most of any Newcastle player and puts him 16th across the entire Premier League. That’s more than Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic and Arsenal’s Thomas Partey.
Furthermore, when it comes to touches of the ball, he ranks the highest of any Newcastle player. Technically Matt Targett has the most touches, however, a number of those will have come from when he was at Aston Villa. So of all the players that have played since the start of the season, Joelinton comes out on top.
In total, he has accumulated 1,203 touches, which puts the man from Brazil just outside the top 100 in the league. These stats show just how hard and key he is to the Toon midfield.
Newcastle lost their last two games after an impressive nine-game unbeaten run in 2022. They face Spurs at the start of April and will hope they can refind their impressive form away from home.