Joe Thomlinson has picked out Joelinton as Newcastle United’s player of the season on the Football Daily YouTube channel.
Newcastle have now made it five home wins in a row after they came from behind to defeat Leicester City in dramatic fashion, with Bruno Guimaraes netting a 94th-minute winner that has moved the Magpies 12 points clear of the bottom three.
Has Joelinton been Newcastle's POTS?
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A lot of Newcastle players have come in for praise since Eddie Howe took charge, with the likes of Dan Burn, Fabian Schar, Matt Targett and Joelinton stepping up their games, with the latter having been reborn as a central midfielder instead of the No 9 he was originally brought to the club as.
Thomlinson acknowledged Joelinton’s turnaround on Tyneside and believes he has been the club’s best player this term.
“I have to say, I think this is Joelinton. The turnaround for Joelinton has just been remarkable under Eddie Howe. He hasn’t contributed massively in terms of goals and assists – it’s only two goals and one assist – but I mean, his evolution into this box-to-box midfielder is just brilliant.
“Newcastle fans love Joelinton now, and 12 months ago, he was a laughing stock, so I think, for me, it’s been Joelinton across the course of the season.”
TIF Thoughts on Joelinton…
The £40m Brazilian was, as Thomlinson said, a laughing stock for his inability to score enough goals for a striker, let alone one wearing the famous number nine shirt for the Magpies, but now as a midfielder, he’s leading the side in pressures and tackles won, while he is also only behind Allan Saint-Maximin when it comes to shot-creating actions.
Joelinton is very much a midfielder who is important for Newcastle at both ends of the pitch, with his revival and turnaround in form being one of the stories of the season, while also being one that nobody would have seen coming when Ciaran Clark was sent off against Norwich City as he was first pushed into a makeshift midfield role.
In other news: Awful: Howe surely angry at £4.5m-rated Newcastle ace over footage – opinion