Newcastle United’s success has been wonderful. Supporters could never have dreamt of Champions League nights and consistent attacks toward the uppermost echelon of the Premier League table while languishing under Mike Ashley’s rule.
But the tycoon has been gone from Tyneside for several years now, and the pointers suggest that the Magpies are going to enjoy lofty heights for many years to come.
Eddie Howe has fashioned an outfit that it greater than the sum of its parts. St. James’ Park is home to some top-class players, of course, but the crop has grown as one through these exciting seasons of growth.
Newcastle have burgeoned, and while he’s not the… flashiest player in the squad, Joelinton embodies the development of his side, for he too has reached a level unseen after the dreary early days of his United career.
Joelinton's Newcastle resurgence
You’d have to credit Steve Bruce with the creation of this hybrid form of Joelinton, who was a flop, the floppiest of flops, in the seasons following his club-record £40m transfer from Hoffenheim.
Well-known manager Julian Nagelsmann had heralded the Brazilian as a “beast who is a nightmare to defend against” back in his German days, but he fell by the wayside in the Premier League, unable to adapt to the pace and intensity of the English game.
The striker-turned-roving-number-eight has been a fundamental part of Newcastle’s football under Howe’s wing, bringing a monstrous and unyielding style to charge the midfield and serve as a counterpoint of sorts to the music that Bruno Guimaraes creates with his technical command.
An effective Premier League striker he was not, but the 28-year-old has now completed 107 appearances under his manager across a four-year period, and is patently a midfielder of real importance within the Toon set-up.
His influence is emphasised through the data revealed by FBref. Over the past year, Joelinton ranks among the top 17% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for goals scored, the top 16% for progressive carries, the top 17% for successful take-ons and the top 19% for tackles per 90.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Effective in front of goal now that it’s not his chief responsibility and capable of bull-like penetrations into the danger area, Joelinton has been hailed for his reshaping by journalist Antonio Mango, who said: “the way he’s transformed himself is extraordinary.”
He’s also a key defensive component, for he has averaged 2.5 tackles and 5.9 successful duels per Premier League match, as per Sofascore, this season.
The complete midfielder? It certainly feels like he has it all in his locker when he’s on his a-game in black and white, and Howe must be chomping at the bit to repeat the club’s feat in sculpting such a player from raw parts.
Though he’s hardly struggling in his current deployment, Lewis Hall could be the next Magpie to bloom into a fresh role down the line.
Lewis Hall could be Howe's own Joelinton
Hall is doing quite the job at left-back for Newcastle, with Alan Shearer even claiming that he was “blown away” by the 20-year-old during his negation of Bukayo Saka’s quality during the 1-0 victory over Arsenal just shy of a month ago.
Sources close to Newcastle suggest that Hall has been told that his immediate Newcastle future will remain at left-back, despite the ace having plied most of his youth trade in central midfield. But he can thrive in the engine room again; it’s something that Howe should consider.
He’s showing that, like Joelinton, he can make the requisite tweaks to become a polished player capable of operating in the centre of the field, with analyst Raj Chohan already noting that the dynamo’s “defensive level is rapidly improving.”
Assists
0.10
Top 32%
Shot-creating actions
2.67
Top 18%
Passes attempted
71.71
Top 8%
Progressive passes
5.96
Top 13%
Progressive carries
1.85
Top 42%
Ball recoveries
5.55
Top 11%
Tackles + interceptions
3.60
Top 35%
Blocks
1.85
Top 4%
Clearances
3.29
Top 25%
Aerial duels won
1.64
Top 13%
His statistical data, pulled from Premier League performances this season, show that Hall is turning into a robust and reliable option down the left channel, not the most active ball carrier but not shy of wading into the deep end when called upon.
The nuts and bolts of his skill set stem from technical quality and creativity, mixed against an ever-improving defensive spread that makes a telling comment on his faculty for success in midfield.
Hall, hailed for his “sensational” showings by content creator Pete Davey, might spend some time on the defensive left flank over the coming campaigns, but he’s still so young and has all the properties required to become a superstar in the centre.
Newcastle’s decision to sign him from Chelsea, who he cut his teeth with as a youth, for a £28m fee in August after he spent the 2023/24 season on loan at St. James’ Park is proving to be a brilliant one, even if it was met with scepticism initially.
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With nine top-flight starts to his name already this term, averaging 1.3 key passes and 4.5 ball recoveries per game, Hall is becoming one of Newcastle’s most important members.
Who’s to say that he couldn’t emulate Joelinton though, and step into midfield down the line to help propel Newcastle even further forward?
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