On August 11 2019, Joelinton made his competitive debut for Newcastle United, playing as a striker against Arsenal at St James’ Park.
The day at St James’ Park sparked the beginning of a new era on Tyneside. Rafa Benitez left Newcastle United following a fallout with Mike Ashley, and he had been replaced by Steve Bruce, who had been managing Sheffield Wednesday just a month prior.
Bruce was not a popular figure amongst the Newcastle fans who were at the end of their tether after years of neglect of their football club. However, Ashley spent heavily when Bruce arrived, with the marquee signing being Joelinton, a young Brazilian forward joining from Hoffenheim for a then-club record fee of £40million.
Bruce was ‘delighted’ to sign Joelinton for Newcastle, highlighting his desire for success as one of his biggest qualities.
There was a lot of expectation on Joelinton to be a success, especially with his high transfer fee. The Arsenal game was his first opportunity to show why Newcastle had spent so much on him.
Unfortunately, he failed to live up to expectations on debut, but Bruce still backed his new No.9 in the circumstances.
Steve Bruce challenged Joelinton to improve after his Newcastle United debut
Newcastle lost the game 1-0 as a result of a miscommunication between Bruce on the touchline and new signing Jetro Willems on the bench. His positioning allowed Arsenal to break away and fire in from close range.
Joelinton played the full 90 minutes on his debut, registering one shot on target from three attempts, but the early signs were there that he was not an out-and-out striker.
Despite that, Bruce still defended his star man, although he did set him a challenge to improve.
“I’m quietly convinced Joelinton will do very well,” Bruce told the Guardian.
“But he’s got to get used to the Premier League and his new surroundings.
“We made a few mistakes, but the effort and endeavour was there for everyone to see. My job is to improve us, get the supporters back onside and enjoying watching their team.”
What Steve Bruce said about Joelinton after his position change
Bruce was not able to get the best out of Joelinton, but the Brazilian improved almost immediately under Eddie Howe. Joelinton played the first few games as a striker before a moment of madness saw him move into midfield, and the rest was history.
Now, Joelinton is one of the most feared midfielders in the Premier League, using his incredible strength to their advantage. The 28-year-old also has Bruno Guimaraes, a fellow Brazilian to partner him at Newcastle, so things are going very well for him now.
Very few could have predicted Joelinton’s success in midfield, even Bruce, who shared his feelings on his new position in a 2024 interview.
“I have to be brutally honest about Joelinton,” he said on TalkSPORT.
“Before I’d signed for Newcastle, Joelinton was already done. Steve Nickson and Lee Charnley had already done the deal. I’d love to put my name to Joe.
“The only thing I would say is he was coming in as Newcastle’s number nine. I’m going to be brutally honest, I never saw him as a central midfielder, but for Hoffenheim, he always played on the left. He was never really an iconic centre forward.
“Consequently, a move of his position and he’s done very very well.”
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