Newcastle's exciting announcement could help them keep Bruno Guimaraes

Newcastle’s exciting announcement could help them keep Bruno Guimaraes

Since being taken over by the Saudi consortium in October 2021, Newcastle United have seen a major overhaul within their squad, which has helped them reach a Carabao Cup final and qualify for the Champions League.

Since the takeover, Newcastle have spent hundreds of millions of pounds revamping their squad. As of 18th August 2023, they had spent exactly £425m on 14 signings.

This includes marquee additions such as Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid in January 2022, for £12m, Anthony Gordon from Premier League rivals Everton for £45m a year later, and Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad for a club record of £63m.

They have also managed to tie down key players such as Joelinton, who is currently sidelined through injury, to new deals. The Brazilian midfielder has siged a new four-year deal to extend his stay at St James’ Park, which was confirmed by the club on Thursday night.

However, it is not necessarily so easy to convince all your stars to stay at the club, with Newcastle failing to hit the heights expected of them this season. With big clubs across Europe potentially interested in a move, it means the club could be forced to sell some of their crucial players.

Manager Eddie Howe may be able to use Joelinton as a secret weapon in negotiations to keep one of the most important players at St James’ Park beyond the 2023/24 season.

Joelinton may convince star man to stay

With the summer transfer window approaching, rumours linking Bruno Guimarães away from Newcastle have begun to intensify. The club most strongly linked with the Brazil international is Paris Saint Germain. The French champions are rumoured to be interested in activating his £100m release clause, according to the Mail Online.

However, I Newspaper have explained that Joelinton’s commitment to the club “could act as part of a sales pitch to him to stay”. With Guimarães countryman Joelinton committing to staying at St James’ Park for another four years, Howe will no doubt be hoping to entice the other to stay, too.

It may well come as a surprise to Newcastle fans that their number 39 is interested in leaving the club, considering the midfielder signed a new contract himself last October. The former Lyon star signed a new five-year deal but also had the £100m release clause mentioned above, inserted into his contract.

Why Joelinton and Bruno make a dream duo

Sadly, Joelinton has been struck down with an injury and will be out for an extended period. However, as Newcastle fans can testify, he and Guimarães make an excellent duo in the midfield.

Both players are different types of midfielders, yet they complement each other perfectly. The latter is a 5 foot 11 creative machine, whereas Joelinton is a 6 foot 2 destroyer, who uses his physicality to his advantage on and off the ball.

Guimarães’ ability on the ball is second to none, and he is renowned as one of the best passers in the Premier League. The 26-year-old has five assists to his name in the league this season, and only two Newcastle players, Kieran Trippier (10) and Anthony Gordon (6) have more.

He has been pigeonholed as a more defensive midfielder in the past, but his time at Newcastle has debunked this myth. Instead, the midfielder is a wonderful final-third creator. According to Fbref, the Brazilian averages 1.95 passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes this season, which ranks him in the top 3% amongst midfielders in Europe, and 1.66 key passes per 90 minutes, placing him in the top 15%.

Joelinton, on the other hand, is a wonderful ball-carrier. As per Fbref, he averages 1.56 successful take-ons per 90 minutes, which places him in the top 7% amongst midfielders, and 0.61 carries into the penalty area per 90 minutes, placing him in the top 6%.

It is an underrated aspect of Joelinton’s game, but his physicality when on the ball certainly gives him an advantage. It also helps him win aerial duels, averaging 1.65 per game, which ranks him in the top 16% amongst midfielders.

The Guimarães and Joelinton pivot is certainly crucial for Newcastle and has been important to Howe’s success, particularly last season. There is little doubt that the manager will be hoping Joelinton can convince his fellow Brazilian midfielder to stay at the club beyond this season, as they look to climb the table and compete for a top-four spot again.