All the stories over the past few days have been about Bruno Guimaraes and his expected move to Arsenal. Understandably so as Newcastle United fans won’t want to see the club captain leave, after having already witnessed the exits of Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer.
Guimaraes is not the only Newcastle United player who could be heading for the exit door in this window though. This seems to be a summer of change for the Magpies. And one more veteran appears to be interested in moving away from St James’ Park.
The player we are talking about is none other than Brazilian international Joelinton. The 29-year-old has been at Newcastle United since 2019.
Over that time, he has made 263 appearances for the club. But now, it looks like he is seeking a move away from Newcastle United and that might be moving in the right direction already.
ESPN journalist drops Joelinton exit update
According to Chronicle Live, speaking on ESPN’s recent show, transfer reporter Bruno Andrade said about the situation of Joelinton:
“I’ve heard Joelinton could also leave the Magpies. He has asked to move on this summer, and clubs from the Middle East have already made enquiries.”
There have also been reports in the English media in recent weeks that Joelinton has informed Newcastle United that he wants to leave. He is said to be looking for a move to the Saudi Pro League.
Still just 29 years of age, Joelinton is still good enough to be playing top-level football in Europe. But it appears that the idea of playing in the SPL is attractive to the Brazilian international.
It remains to be seen whether such a move materialises or not. If it does, it will leave another void in the Newcastle United midfield department.
Newcastle United need several additions in midfield
Newcastle United’s midfield has been hit hard this summer. Of course, Tonali has already left in order to join Tottenham Hotspur. And Guimaraes could be headed to their North London rivals Arsenal.
Those two were arguably Newcastle United’s best and most important players. But players like Joelinton have an important role in the team as well. On top of that, it looks like Joe Willock will potentially head for the exit door too.
So, all things considered, Newcastle United will need to make several additions in the middle of the park before the summer window closes.
So far, they have not done nearly enough. 18-year-old Sean Steur has been brought in from Ajax. He has been joined by Aladji Bamba from AS Monaco, who is 20. The two have played a combined 50 games in senior football. It goes without saying that the Magpies will need more experience and proven quality to replace the magnitude of the players who have or look set to leave.
