Last season, Newcastle United’s supporters watched their high hopes flake away, bit by bit. The thing is, the avalanche of injuries precluded success in the Champions League, and the Premier League too.
It’s a testament to Eddie Howe and his finely-wrought system that Newcastle came oh-so-close to returning to continental competition once again, but for Manchester United’s triumph in the FA Cup, looting St. James’ Park of its European place.
Now, the Tynesiders are hoping to rise once again, and though Alexander Isak has taken the limelight after netting in four successive matches, praise must also be placed at Joelinton’s feet.
Joelinton is thriving for Newcastle
Joelinton has ebbed and flowed throughout his Newcastle, joining from Hoffenheim in a club-record £40m deal back in July 2019. Once a wayward centre-forward, the titan of a player has been repackaged as a roving number eight across recent years.
It’s been a bona fide success. Joelinton has been praised as a “machine” in the middle by his manager and has been vital in restoring style and balance in recent weeks.
Hitting a rich vein on the left side of the starting line-up with Joe Willock, the Brazil international has started all 11 top-flight fixtures this season and has averaged 1.1 key passes, 2.5 tackles, 5.1 ball recoveries and 6.2 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore, emphasising his completeness.
He’s a real gem, basking in a resurgence that would hardly have been dreamt of at the start of his Newcastle career – having been described as “like gold dust” by his manager
Joelinton has certainly repaid the faith of that initial £40m investment, although that figure has actually been eclipsed by a certain Magpies starlet who was allowed to venture off for pastures new this season. His name’s Yankuba Minteh and it’s a sale that might just prove to bite Howe’s side in the future.
Yankuba Minteh's market value in 2024/25
Admittedly, Minteh’s sacrifice enabled Newcastle to keep their mitts on coveted trio Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes, all of whom were eyed up by some high-profile suitors this summer.
Minteh, along with academy graduate Elliot Anderson, were cast out like lambs, but it was a necessary evil, for Newcastle were trapped in the shadow of the Premier League’s PSR rules and needed to placate the wicked beast.
It was perhaps obvious that Minteh should be sold for a lucrative figure, given that the young winger had never actually played for Newcastle. The Toon signed Minteh from Danish side Odense Boldklub in July 2023 for about £6m but loaned him straight out to Arne Slot’s Feyenoord for the 2023/24 campaign.
It was a productive year, with the Gambian posting 11 goals and six assists across all competitions, winning the KNVB Cup (the Dutch equivalent of the FA Cup).
He was a profitable asset, and so when Brighton & Hove Albion offered a £30m sum for the 20-year-old, it was something of a no-brainer. That’s £24m profit thanks to a player who never actually donned the black-and-white shirt.
Feyenoord
37
11
6
Odense Boldklub
17
4
6
Brighton & Hove Albion
8
1
1
Even so, Minteh is making headway on the South Coast and is already regarded to have seen his price mushroom, for CIES Football Observatory have recorded his valuation at £43m.
Market Movers
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Newcastle had to sell, sure, but given the lack of potency on the right flank, with Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy toiling, Minteh might have been the perfect option to keep on the books.
If only the powers that be had found another way; Minteh is already worth more than Joelinton’s price tag and may soon enter the same ballpark as that aforementioned triumvirate too.
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