Joelinton has not made the immediate impact Newcastle had hoped for since arriving for a record fee in the summer, and the club’s latest reason why is deflecting the main issue.
The Telegraph have reported that Newcastle are now urging the Brazilian to bring members of his family to Tyneside, believing that at just 23, he is feeling lonely and isolated on his own.
In a way, lonely and isolated is exactly the reason he is struggling… but it has nothing to do with where he is living.
As much as being alone in a foreign country is bound to affect a youngster, that is not the reason he has only managed a solitary goal this season.
The real reason lies with Steve Bruce, and the role he is expecting the former Hoffenheim player to to fulfil week after week.
Joelinton is not an Alan Shearer or Salomon Rondon – but he is being expected to be.
Despite being a tall striker, he needs to be playing alongside someone, where he can feed off them, and link up with them.
Currently, he is stuck up the field by himself, with a bunch of defenders around him, feeding off scraps, while having to gamely hold the ball up for his teammates to reach him.
Quite how he is meant to do that, and be scoring goals is baffling.
So yes, the problem is because the player is lonely and isolated… but on the pitch, not off it.
Steve Bruce is the only person who can help Joelinton
Bringing some family and friends over to stay with him will definitely help him settle into life in north east England, but it will have no bearing on the footballing problem.
The only man who can help out with that issue, is Steve Bruce. He simply has to be brave and play a second striker with Joelinton.
Failure to know how to get the most out of their record signing, says more about the coaching ability of the manager, than it does about the player.
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