Newcastle’s top earner should be sold in January if output is low

Newcastle United should place their record signing on the transfer list in January if he fails to show any signs of progress.

Newcastle United need to be at their best during the 2020-21 Premier League campaign, especially since many of their mid-table rivals have upgraded their squads with multiple signings.

Newcastle United only have one striker at their disposal at the moment – Andy Carroll. The hope was for Dwight Gayle to pick up where he left off last season, in which he scored four goals in the last seven games, but he is now sidelined with a knee injury.

Yoshinori Muto has been instructed to find a new club, and it is understood that his agent is talking to some potential suitors in Germany and Spain.

Joelinton, who needed this preseason more than anyone, has not reported to training camp because he is in quarantine after his vacation in Greece.

The club is searching for new strikers, but it remains to be seen who will join the Toon. So far, the most frequent links involve: Callum Wilson (Bournemouth), Josh King (Bournemouth), Patrik Schick (AS Roma), Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), and Moussa Marega (Porto).

Seeing that Newcastle United only scored 38 goals last season, with only two of those goals coming from record signing Joelinton, it goes to show why this position is in dire need of new talent.

The Brazilian striker was a major disappointment as he failed to lead the front line last season. With his price tag being £40m, the expectation was for him to emulate Salomon Rondon’s output from the 2018-19 campaign, but he fell way short of his numbers with only two goals and two assists.

Joelinton claimed that his objective was to put in extra work this summer to better understand his role, to work on his movements off the ball, his positioning in the box, and his finishing, in general. So far, that does not seem to be the case.

The Brazilian missed three critical friendlies before the new season, and missed several training sessions. Another season of low output should not be tolerated by the coaching staff.

If Joelinton does not score five goals by the end of December, the front office should look to sell him, despite taking a significant financial hit.

Fans, myself included, hope Joelinton will turn things around in a big way, but his absence from preseason training is already generating more doubt than optimism.