Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe feels his side really missed Joelinton after he was substituted against Brentford.
The Magpies suffered defeat at Brentford as Eddie Howe suffered another loss on the road.
After Newcastle lost 3-1 at West Ham United last weekend, Howe needed a response at Brentford.
Instead, the game went the same way as Newcastle took the lead, only to then go on and lose 3-1.
Joelinton shakes Eddie Howe's hand after coming off for Newcastle United against Brentford.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Eddie Howe on Newcastle United missing Joelinton
Newcastle saw Dan Burn pick up a red card, swinging the game in Brentford’s favour in the second half.
Howe actually feels that Newcastle suffered a similarly damaging blow early in the first half.
Midfielder Joelinton went down with an injury and was replaced by Jacob Ramsey after just 24 minutes.
Howe has told Sky Sports, as quoted by BBC Sport, that Joelinton’s injury was only a knock, but enough for him to be substituted.
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Howe felt that Joelinton was a ‘big miss’ in Newcastle’s midfield and his injury was a contributing factor in the 3-1 defeat.
“Joelinton had a knock, but it was obviously enough for him to go off. He was a big miss today,” said Howe.
Questions linger over Joelinton
Howe’s comments may suggest that he was not overly impressed with Jacob Ramsey’s performance after replacing Joelinton.
To be fair to the Newcastle boss, Joelinton and Ramsey are very different players.
Ramsey certainly does not offer the bite and physicality that Joelinton provides, and that may be at the centre of Howe’s thoughts.
Howe has been working on Joelinton’s goalscoring threat, and the hope is that he can build on his goal against Athletic Club.
Bruno Guimaraes Sandro Tonali Joelinton
Goals 3 0 0
Key passes 15 14 5
Shots on target 4 5 2
Tackles won 22 12 13
Accurate passes 403 484 201
Interceptions 2 12 11
Dribbles 8 7 2
Duels won 61 31 38
Ball recoveries 56 44 31
Outside of the physicality and aggression, Newcastle fans have actually questioned Joelinton’s performances – and it may be time for Howe to rethink his importance in midfield.
Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali are almost undroppable, and if anybody is going to drop out of the midfield, it is surely Joelinton.
The stats this season show that Joelinton is lagging behind Bruno and Tonali in most categories, admittedly having played fewer minutes.
Joelinton hasn’t impacted the game enough going forward and falls short of both Bruno and Tonali for passes, key passes, shots on target and dribbles.
Howe feels that Newcastle missed Joelinton, but if the Magpies are going to really kick on in 2026, it may be time to look for other midfield options.
Atalanta’s Ederson is on Newcastle’s radar to replace Joelinton, with Howe and co seemingly considering new additions to the engine room.