As Newcastle United star Joelinton spoke this week to the Brazilian media, he couldn’t give more praise towards Magpies manager Eddie Howe even if he tried.
The midfielder was interviewed by ESPN Brasil, and speaking of the great moment lived by the club, he gave his boss many credits.
“Last season was a great season. I think that since the arrival of the owners, and also the arrival of Eddie, you see an exceptional change in the club. To do the season that we did last year, reaching the League Cup final and going to the Champions after I don’t know how many years… This is something that, outside the Big Six, only Leicester managed when they were champions. So, that shows the competitiveness of the league and the difficulty of qualifying for the Champions League,” Joelinton told ESPN Brasil.
According to the player, Howe had a big influence on how many Newcastle players improved lately.
“The position we are in today is mainly due to the arrival of Eddie. Many players arrived, but you see that most of the current team was here before. This shows how he managed to improve many players like Almirón, Murphy and myself.”
“Various players have risen in level because of him and his work. And also, of course, the arrival of quality players, who have raised the level of the group.”
Joelinton also talked about the current transfer window, with Newcastle having made the signings of Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento and Yankuba Minteh so far.
The Brazilian highlighted how important it is that the Magpies are adding depth to the squad, especially in midfield, and is hopeful that the new players will be useful during the season.
“I think we are stronger this year with the arrival of Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento… They are players who arrived in positions that we needed. Last year, there were times when, in midfield, we only had three guys to play with.”
“These things cannot happen in the competitions we compete in. Like the Champions League and the Premier League, we need a strong group, and this year we have that. We have a lot of internal competitiveness in the group, and nobody will want to lose their place. This is very good for the club.”
After trashing Aston Villa with a 5-1 win in the Premier League’s opening round, Newcastle are now set for a big challenge, as they’re heading to the Etihad Stadium and will be facing Manchester City on Saturday.
Their run doesn’t get much easier after that, mind, as the subsequent games are against Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion.
