When Dan Ashworth was put on gardening leave, it did not take Newcastle United long to hand Joelinton a new contract.
The Brazilian signed a long-term extension at St James’ Park back in April, shutting down rumours of a move away in the summer.
That was a real fear, as Joelinton prepared to head into the final year of the original deal he signed with Newcastle United in 2019 when he joined for £40million.
With talks stalling, there was concern that the Magpies would have to sell a key player this summer, rather than risk losing him for nothing a year later.
But, with no sporting director in place, Newcastle got a deal done to keep Joelinton at the club. It delighted Eddie Howe, it delighted Bruno Guimaraes, and it delighted the Toon Army.
Dan Ashworth was worried about PSR amid Joelinton situation
Amanda Staveley did what Dan Ashworth could not, and got Joelinton to commit his future to Newcastle United.
But now a new report has shared the real reason why Ashworth, who has now joined Manchester United, was initially reluctant to hand Joelinton a new deal.
According to the Telegraph, Ashworth was aware earlier this year that Newcastle United may need to sell Joelinton this summer due to their PSR problem, and that is why he was holding off on reaching an agreement with the midfielder.
Of course, Newcastle decided to give Joelinton a new deal once Ashworth no longer had the power, with Howe retaining the services of a player who he sees as key to the way his team operates.
In turn, Newcastle had to look elsewhere to solve their PSR problem, with Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson leaving on June 30th to help the Magpies avoid a points deduction.
Joelinton could have solved Newcastle’s PSR problem, but Howe will be happy to keep him
While Ashworth is no longer viewed favourably by Toon fans, you can see where he was coming from with Joelinton.
The club were well aware that they needed to raise funds, and they had a player who could possibly fetch around £50million preparing to go into the final year of his contract.
It would have been devastating to see Joelinton go, but he was seen as a possible solution to a problem that could have resulted in the Magpies receiving a major points deduction. And every solution appears to have been considered heading towards the deadline – even selling star player Anthony Gordon.
But the option of selling Joelinton disappeared as soon as he put pen to paper on a new deal, and that will not have concerned Eddie Howe. The 27-year-old is one of his most important and reliable players, and it is going to be great seeing him in action next season after his 2023/24 campaign was disrupted by injury.
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