Joelinton was replaced by Dwight Gayle at half-time during Newcastle United’s 1-0 win against Sheffield United. Not many noticed, and those who did may not have been overly concerned.
Out of the players who have featured at least 25 times in the Premier League, Joelinton is fifth for the most unsuccessful touches per-90. In fact, he is dispossessed 1.9 times a game per-90, and while his goal tally has doubled from last season, he has only found the back of the net four times in the league during this campaign.
The counterargument is that Joelinton offers an element in which not many can provide. His agility for his size is unique and he can hold up play relatively well.
Joelinton has also scored three in his last nine – not bad considering he’s asked to mostly drop in behind the striker, use his strength to hold onto the ball, and attempt to feed them through.
He averages two shots a game – mostly inside the box, showing he is capable of getting in dangerous areas and finding good spots. Almost half (0.9) of these shots will hit the target – indeed we are dealing with very average ability and performance.
Joelinton averages 9.1 ariel duels per-90 and wins 3.8 of those contests, which in fairness, is pretty good going, and such a stat is particularly pertinent when you consider how Newcastle play – especially when they’re breaking away from the high-ball clearances from the wing-backs.
So what options are there? No doubt it’s the club record that’s kept him at Newcastle for this long – the club not willing to admit their rather expensive error – but now another season has all but passed and his stock has slightly risen, so some will argue now might well be the best time to cash in.
There’s no getting away from the fact Joelinton has not lived up to the expectations his gigantic £40million fee has warranted – and he knows it – but there’s no reason for Newcastle to cut their nose to spite their face.
No doubt a replacement is needed – another attacking threat. With Andy Carroll reported to be on his way out after only netting a single occasion for Newcastle, Joelinton would be able to slot in there in his place, coming on late in the game to push defences back and cause a big aerial threat.
His sale wouldn’t bring in bags of money anyway – around £7million at a push – and so it would be worthwhile keeping the 24-year-old at the club, but Newcastle must look to improve in attack during the summer window and not merely give Joelinton another run-in. Callum Wilson has already shown, despite his ability in front of goal, he is prone to injury, so leaving Joelinton as the secondary goal threat poses a big risk.
Whether Newcastle are willing to splash out this summer window, though, is another matter.
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