Joselu’s January deadline day could have gone better, with the Newcastle forward missing a penalty and another clear chance against Burnley as fellow front man Islam Slimani sealed a move to St James’ Park.
Slimani is still to make his Newcastle debut and yet it has not got much better for Joselu since then.
The Spaniard has not started a game in February, missing the draw with Crystal Palace, featuring for 10 minutes as a substitute against Manchester United and then failing to make it off the bench at Bournemouth.
Even with Slimani absent, it very much feels like Joselu’s time at Newcastle is winding down.
He was protected earlier in the season by the Magpies’ improved performance when he started, but Dwight Gayle has been key in this current impressive run, adding goals to his game on Saturday in a way Joselu never has.
Slimani’s arrival was a real boost to Rafa Benitez and so he will play when he’s fit, while Aleksandar Mitrovic’s reputation can only be boosted by his form on loan at Fulham.
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Counting only on those players, Joselu could well be fourth choice heading into next season. And that’s before taking any new signings into account.
If Newcastle stay up, there will be money to spend and a striker will be a priority.
Joselu was only signed because the funds were not there last summer, although his early performances suggested he could be more than a stopgap on Tyneside.
That will not now be the case and he will almost certainly pay the price for his profligacy.