Joelinton will be Newcastle’s most important player

Newcastle surprised many Premier League fans when they made Joelinton their record signing this summer, but their new No. 9 has the Magpies in position to surprise more top clubs this season.

Just a week after Tottenham Hotspur escaped with a VAR-assisted 2-2 draw over Manchester City, they fell victim to a tough loss at home against an inspired Newcastle United side. The signs were there for Newcastle to surprise the Premier League’s top six clubs, as they put in a gritty Matchweek 1 display against Arsenal.

Whereas Newcastle lost to Arsenal 1-0, they managed to pick up a scrappy 1-0 victory over the Gunners’ North London rivals on Matchweek 3 to bounce back from a woeful 3-1 loss to Norwich.

At the heart of Newcastle’s performance was a stingy display on defense, buoyed by Paul Dummett, Jamaal Lascelles, and legitimately world-class center back Fabian Schar.

While those three players stood out as the top performers for their gutsy defense against Tottenham’s loaded attack, the most important player for the Magpies was their lone striker up top.

Joelinton needed just one chance to find the back of the net, and he took it with aplomb. After securing substitute Christian Atsu’s brilliant chipped pass with a first touch that would have made hat-trick hero Robert Lewandowski proud, the former Hoffenheim star buried his chance past Hugo Lloris for the game’s lone goal.

Chances will be few and far between for Newcastle this season, especially when they go ultra-defensive against bigger clubs like Tottenham. But if Joelinton can continue to display this level of composure and technical class in front of the goal, his potentially exquisite finishing touch could rescue valuable points against even the most formidable of Premier League foes.

However, what makes Joelinton so important to Newcastle’s success is his work as a target man. Hoffenheim have a history of brilliant Brazilian target men, as Liverpool superstar Roberto Firmino first made a name for himself with the Bundesliga club. Joelinton’s style is more about power than Firmino’s, but he has similar technical qualities and also displayed a similar desire to set up teammates.

In Newcastle’s impressive road victory over Tottenham, Joelinton added two key passes to his two shots on target. If Miguel Almiron’s brilliant curled effort weren’t deflected, Joelinton would have added an assist to his goal on Matchweek 3.

Joelinton worked tirelessly to track back, shoving off defenders and even moving into his own half to link up with Newcastle’s midfielders. While Joelinton has the skills to bamboozle defenders and the awareness to set up teammates with accurate passes in the final third, he’s also willing to put his foot in to make gritty tackles. There were instances where he was holding off several Tottenham players as the opponents became more desperate for a goal, and Davison Sanchez was visibly frustrated at his inability to outmuscle the determined Joelinton.

He did all of this while exhausted and injured, holding off the effects of fatigue on a 37-degree Celsius day, in addition to a groin knock he picked up in the second half. Joelinton’s determination was evident, and the traveling Toon Army’s admiration for the Brazilian’s desire was just as easy to see.

Going forward, Joelinton will be of paramount importance to Newcastle. They have one of the Premier League’s best defenses in front of a capable goalkeeper, a steely midfield, and two exciting wide players in Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin.

So they have the ingredients to surprise more teams than just Tottenham, but the one player standing above the rest in importance is Joelinton. As talented as those players are, none of them have the goal-scoring ability, technical quality, physical skills, and intelligence in the attacking third that Joelinton does. The 23-year-old is already a complete No. 9 who is growing by the game, and it will be exciting to see how he develops throughout his first season at Newcastle.

Thus far, Joelinton looks every bit the 40 million pound player the Magpies thought he is, though he’ll have to continue to prove the critics wrong. Injury woes will be of concern to Newcastle, since they reared their ugly head last year for Joelinton at Hoffenheim and have already bubbled to the surface in his first month in the Premier League.

But as far as on-field quality goes, Joelinton checks off all the boxes. Newcastle will be a counter-attacking team that relies on Joelinton’s finishing, strength, hold-up play, and decision-making to turn glimpses into chances into goals. He was instrumental and quietly influential in a backs-to-the-wall job against Tottenham, and he’ll remain the key to Steve Bruce’s winning formula in what is shaping up to be another intriguing season in Newcastle.