Joelinton has recently opened up on the struggles he has faced whilst at Newcastle United.
The Brazilian signed for the Magpies in 2019 for a fee of around £40m. With such a large price-tag and Newcastle in desperate need of goals, a lot of pressure was put on the 25-year-old striker.
However, it is fair to say that Joelinton was unable to meet the expectations of many a fan, netting just two league goals in 38 outings across his debut season in England.
The South American had a similarly poor 2020/21 and whilst the goals are still not flowing this term, Joelinton looks a player reborn after being moved into central midfield by Eddie Howe.
Now, the former striker has spoken out about the tough times he has faced in the North East:
“I thought about leaving a few times. When you find yourself in a bad moment, you think about that, but I have never had anything concrete,” he said.
“What I had, yes, was this idea of perhaps moving to another team, looking for success elsewhere. It’s something normal when you are not doing so well on the pitch because that obviously has an impact on you outside the club, too, you end up getting a bit sad. But I’m happy I didn’t go anywhere and now I hope to continue here for many years to come.”
Joelinton exclusive: ‘I thought about leaving Newcastle – now I’m happy I didn’t’ @_marcus_alves https://t.co/y7OqfrcOXc
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) March 11, 2022
Newcastle vs Chelsea
Joelinton would miss Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Southampton on Thursday evening, but is no doubt eager to be back this weekend vs Chelsea.
The Magpies face off with Thomas Tuchel and co. at 2 pm UK time on Sunday and likely fancy their chances after winning four of their last five.
Chelsea are in similarly positive form, but off-the-field issues could quite easily distract Thomas Tuchel’s side this weekend.
