The staggering Joelinton stat that sums up his transformation at Newcastle United under Eddie Howe

The Brazilian had struggled to find his best position since arriving on Tyneside for a club record £40million from Hoffenheim in 2019.

He doesn’t possess the end product in front of goal to be a dependable striker and he’s not a natural winger.

Head coach Eddie Howe quickly recognised this and opted for a slightly unorthodox approach of playing the 25-year-old in the heart of Newcastle's midfield given his physical and technical attributes.

While he remains shy in front of goal – just look at how he somehow kicked the ball off his own head against Everton – Joelinton’s midfield performances have quickly seen him go from ‘flop’ to fan favourite at St James’s Park.

The Brazilian hasn’t just ‘done a job’ in central-midfield either, he has flourished and is statistically one of the most effective midfield destroyers in the Premier League right now.

Since moving into the middle, Joelinton has averaged more tackles per game than any other midfield player in the Premier League so far this season – and it’s not even close!

Joelinton has averaged an impressive 4.5 tackles per game as a starting midfielder, 0.8 tacklers per game more than Liverpool’s Naby Keita in second with 3.7. Brighton and Hove Albion’s Yves Bissouma completes the top three with 3.6 tackles per match, according to WhoScored.com data.

All of a sudden that £40million price tag that has been like a millstone around Joelinton’s neck, doesn’t seem like such a bad piece of business.

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