Newcastle United man's 'outstanding' transformation heralded ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has hailed the 'outstanding' transformation of Joelinton during the international break as the Magpies prepare for upcoming tricky encounters with London clubs Chelsea and Arsenal.

The Magpies were underwhelmed with a 7th-place finish last season, having booked a place in the Champions League 12 months earlier. An out-of-sorts Chelsea managed a rampant run of form towards the end of the season to finish three points ahead of the Tyneside outfit in 6th.

Those two sides look sure to have the rivalry reignited this season with both aiming for Champions League football. Already, just two points separate the Blues and the Magpies with Enzo Maresca's side in fourth and Howe's men in 7th.

Newcastle United face Chelsea twice and then Arsenal

That could all change after the international break. Newcastle United face Brighton at St James' Park next weekend while Chelsea travel to Liverpool. Howe and Maresca will then do battle twice in three days with a Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge on October 27 followed by a Carabao Cup meeting at St James' Park on October 30.

It doesn't get any easier for Newcastle United after those matches against Chelsea either, with Arsenal making the trip up the East coast to take on the Magpies at St James' Park on November 2 in a fixture that has proved particularly fiery in recent season - Anthony Gordon scored the winner in the North East last season in an infamous moment of VAR controversy that had Mikel Arteta fuming.

Speaking to BetMGM’s Adopted Geordies podcast ahead of those matches, Howe singled out one player in particular for praise. That is powerful midfielder Joelinton, who could be key in deciding the outcome of fixtures against Chelsea and Arsenal. Howe said: "It’s interesting with Jo because we never really saw the first part [when he was heavily criticised].

“When you come in with a new squad, you look at individuals and you’re aware of their situation and of how their career has gone to that point but we very much tried to have an open mind. We came in and thought ‘right we're just going to assess what we see and not take history into account’ and from day one, and I’ve said this many times, in the first training session, he was excellent and we knew we had a player.

“We were aware of what had happened previously, but we were instantly impressed by his character and his attitude and once we knew that it was a case of us really believing in him."

Joelinton position change explained

Joelinton was signed by Newcastle United as a striker but never really found his scoring boots when arriving in 2019. The Brazil international now has 26 goals for the Magpies, but his principal job is not hitting the back of the net.

Howe explained: "We stumbled upon a positional change which I think elevated his [Joelinton] confidence levels.

“Ciaran [Clark] was sent off against Norwich and I think we went to a 4-3-2 and through needs he played in midfield in this game and was everything that he is now. He was everywhere, covered every blade of grass, he was outstanding. From that day he’s remained in that position. He’s so reliable – wherever you put him, you know he’s going to give his best.”