Phil Thompson implied that he thought Newcastle United summer signing Joelinton would do well at the Magpies.
The Sky Sports pundit claimed that based on the few clips he had seen of the 22-year-old, he believes the Brazilian looks to be a big strong boy who is also quick around the box.
Thompson then dismissed Jeff Stelling telling him that Joelinton isn’t a prolific forward, and this led to the pundit suggesting Steve Bruce needs to find a way to get goals out of other positions in the Magpies’ team.
“There’s only one club he (Andy Carroll) would have gone to for on a deal like this and that’s Newcastle,” said Thompson on Soccer Saturday (Sky Sports News, 13:22, Saturday, August 10th).
“It’s a nice marriage if you want.
“But don’t forget Joelinton, just looking at a few clips of him and he looks a big strong boy and quick around the box.
“He’s scored a couple of goals (Jeff Stelling said he’s not prolific) and I think if he can help out…and they’re another team who don’t get a lot of goals from other positions.”
OPINION
Thompson did seem eager to see Joelinton in action, but then he did appear to admit that he has only seen clips of the Magpies’ new forward. However given that the pundit noticed that the Brazilian was big and strong as well as quick, then perhaps he believes Joelinton will be suited to playing in the Premier League. After all, being physically strong and fast are normally qualities that see an attacker excel in the Premier League. Joelinton scored seven goals in 28 Bundesliga appearances for Hoffenheim last season, showing his strength in the air by winning 2.3 aerial duels per game, and averaged two shots per game (Source: WhoScored). While Stelling was quick to claim Joelinton wasn’t prolific, he wasn’t far off hitting double-digits last season, and made up for not hitting the back of the net more by registering five assists. If the 22-year-old could achieve similar numbers for Bruce’s side in his debut season as he did in his last campaign for Hoffenheim, then he’ll be a hit. As for Thompson’s remarks on Carroll’s return, it’s hard to not agree with him. The Magpies likely reached a reasonable deal for the 30-year-old forward, simply because of the forward’s connection to the club.
