Newcastle United’s awful injury luck appears to be continuing, with the newest news almost ensuring Joelinton will be sidelined for the rest of the season due to a groin injury that would most likely necessitate season-ending surgery.
Joelinton, 27, appears to be opposed to surgery, but he is anticipated to have it in the coming days or weeks if only to avoid future career-threatening setbacks.
The Brazilian midfielder, who is expected to miss the rest of the season, suffered the injury in Newcastle’s third-round FA Cup match against Sunderland, which the Magpies won 3-0 at the start of January.
Joelinton’s injury is expected to prompt the club to reconsider its January transfer plans, maybe investing in midfield reinforcements or at least looking into loan options.
The loss of other key players, such as fellow midfielders Sandro Tonali (standing a 10-month ban) and Joe Willock (out with an Achilles injury), exacerbates the problem. NUFC’s midfield is currently depleted, with Elliot Anderson recovering from a back fracture and Bruno Guimarães facing a two-game suspension for amassing 10 yellow cards. This leaves Sean Longstaf and Lewis Miley to handle a significant workload.
According to the latest rumors, Newcastle is considering potential sales next summer, while manager Eddie Howe wants to improve the team in January, despite the fact that he understands it will be difficult to complete any significant transactions.
Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak, and Sven Botman are expected to be sold next July, and for the time being, Howe has recalled Isaac Hayden from his loan at Standard Liege, however it is believed NUFC intends to send him on loan to a Championship club rather than reintegrating him into the first squad.
Howe is also interested in signing Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City. However, City’s demand for a £7 million loan fee and an obligation to buy Phillips for £40 million next summer has been refused by Newcastle’s ownership owing to current and future financial restrictions.
Adding fuel to Newcastle’s fire, it was revealed yesterday that Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the club’s president following the PIF takeover of NUFC in October 2021, is facing legal action.
According to The Athletic, the chairman is accused in legal filings of carrying out Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s (MBS) commands with the goal to hurt the family of Dr. Saad Aljabri, a former Saudi intelligence chief.
These charges raise doubts regarding Newcastle United’s ownership. The English Premier League authorized the PIF takeover after receiving guarantees of a separation between the club and the Saudi state, albeit the extent of this separation has been questioned, particularly given MBS’s role as chairman of the PIF board.
