Will the sound of silence help Joe?
WILL AN EMPTY GROUND REDUCE THE PRESSURE ON STRUGGLING BRAZILIAN?
NEWCASTLE United fans waited almost 14 years for the club to break their transfer record - only for it to happen twice in the space of six months.
The Magpies paid £21m for Miguel Almiron in January to trump the £16m spent on Michael Owen in 2005. Then came the arrival of Brazilian striker Joelinton for £40m last summer.
The news was greeted with cautious excitement on Tyneside, even though the 23-year-old had big boots to fill following the departure of Salomon Rondon.
Joelinton’s pre-season form showed promise, with goals against Hibernian and Saint-Etienne.
His first competitive goal would arrive early in the season too, handing manager Steve Bruce a much-needed victory against Tottenham. Since then, nothing.
Joelinton is still waiting to score his second Premier League goal. To his credit, he has found form in the FA Cup with strikes against Rochdale and Oxford United, but that was not why Newcastle signed him.
At Hoffenheim, he was far from a goalscoring sensation. In 36 games he managed 11 goals and nine assists.
His ability to create chances for team-mates is a plus, just as it was for Rondon, and to his credit he has managed a respectable four assists for the Magpies this season.
It would be unfair to say Joelinton’s time on Tyneside has been a failure. His ability to bring other players into the game and carry the ball are great traits, especially if incorporated correctly.
Joelinton operates more like a false nine, coming deep for the ball
and drifting out wide to link up with creative team-mates.
So far, Bruce has preferred a more traditional target-man forward, like Rafa Benitez before him, to make up for the lack of short build-up play through the middle.
While Joelinton could potentially fill this role, it may be more useful to try to adapt to the Brazilian’s strengths, something head coach Bruce has done at times by moving him out wide.
Unfortunately, as the goals have dried up, so the expectation has weighed even heavier on Joelinton’s young shoulders and that is why Bruce needs to reset the player’s mindset.
As recently as the 2017/18 season, Joelinton was playing in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Now he is the most expensive player in Newcastle’s history. Such a meteoric rise requires broad shoulders and an almost flawless transition but there is hope.
Joelinton notched a well-taken goal in a prerestart game against Middlesbrough to earn praise from his boss.
While few United fans were eager for a three-month break in play, it could have arrived at the perfect time for their record signing.
Joelinton has now had more time to bed in, to build harmony with his team-mates. Hopefully, he can attack the second part of the season with vigour.
No-one can accurately predict what awaits when the Premier League returns but the absence of fans could be a benefit for the striker, with less pressure on him from the stands.
Speaking after Joelinton’s arrival on Tyneside, Bruce said: “The kid has an exciting time ahead of him.”
That has not been the case so far but if Joelinton can use this return to shake off the selfdoubt he could benefit more than most from the Premier League’s break.