Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has claimed that star midfielder Joelinton may have played his final game for the club. The Brazilian recently underwent surgery to repair a nagging groin injury. The setback may force the midfielder to miss the remainder of the current campaign. There is, however, a slim chance that Joelinton could enter the fray once again at the end of the season.



Nevertheless, Howe admitted on Friday that the club could be forced to sell the star in the summer transfer window. Joelinton’s current contract is set to expire in June of 2025 and the club may opt to capitalize on a transfer, rather than watch the player leave for free next year.



Magpies CEO Darren Eales <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/newcastle-may-have-to-sell-key-players-to-ease-ffp-concerns-20240112-WST-483024.html">recently revealed</a> that the club will likely have to sell a key player or two this summer. The move comes down to easing Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/newcastle-united-tv-schedule/">Newcastle</a> has spent heavily since the Saudi Arabian owners took over the team in late 2021.



<h2>Coach wants Joelinton to stay, but injury may force early final game at Newcastle</h2>



Howe addressed a series of topics in his press conference on Friday. However, the news regarding Joelinton was a crucial aspect of the conversation. The Newcastle manager claimed that he wants the midfielder to sign a new deal with the team, but the decision is not solely his.



“[Joelinton] has 18 months left on his contract so it’s a possibility he’ll be sold in the summer,” <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/av/football/68109515" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stated</a> Howe. “Again, as his manager, I’m determined for him to stay. I love him as a person and as a player, so it would be my wish that he signs a long-term contract. Of course, there is more to it than that. There’s Joe’s wishes and what he wants and before he signs a contract, he has to be entirely happy with everything and we are not at that stage yet.”



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Howe’s comments suggest that Joelinton may be asking for an improved contract. Despite spending freely on transfers, the Magpies still have a modest wage scale. Only three players currently make more than $125,000 per week. Joelinton is not one of these lucky players. The midfielder currently rakes in around $108,000 each week to play for Newcastle.



The Brazilian could also be looking for a move to a bigger club. While he is historically a center forward, Joelinton has recently been deployed as a central midfielder in recent seasons. Despite the switch, he has excelled at the position. Although it remains to be seen how much the Magpies could get for selling the star, <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.us/joelinton/profil/spieler/333241">Transfermarkt</a> currently values Joelinton at about $45 million.



<h2>Three other Newcastle stars linked with moves as well</h2>



The midfielder may not exactly be the only Newcastle star to soon depart the club. Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson, and Miguel Almiron have all been linked with potential moves away from the northeast.



The Magpies recently rejected a bid from <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/bayern-munich-tv-schedule/">Bayern Munich</a> for Trippier. As a result, the German giants have moved on to other targets at the right-back position. Wilson has been linked with a plethora of teams looking for a striker at some point this month. On the other hand, Saudi side Al-Shabab reportedly <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/newcastle-sending-miguel-amiron-to-saudi-arabia-to-skirt-ffp-20240122-WST-484911.html">wants to grab Almiron</a> as well.



Nevertheless, Howe claimed on Friday that he wants all of these key players to remain with the club. Newcastle currently finds themselves sitting 10th in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> table and needs all the help they can get to qualify for a European place.



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Howe admits Joelinton may have played final Newcastle game

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe claimed on Friday that star midfielder Joelinton could be sold this summer if he does not agree to new contract.

Due to a pay issue, Newcastle may have little choice but to sell Joelinton this summer.



Joelinton joined <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/newcastle-united-tv-schedule/">Newcastle</a> in July 2019 for a cost of $50 million, signing a six-year contract. Though they signed him to play center forward, he didn’t start well.



But the 27-year-old has blossomed into a standout player for Newcastle and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/brazil-national-team-tv-schedule/">Brazil</a> as a central midfielder. Following his rebranding in the mid-area, he has flourished at St. James’ Park, becoming an essential cog in Eddie Howe’s machine.



However, due to a thigh injury, the Brazilian international will not be able to continue playing this season. Consequently, unless he agrees to a new deal, this may be his last game for the Toon.



<h2>What did Newcastle say about Joelinton injury?</h2>



While playing for Newcastle in their 3-0 victory against Sunderland, Joelinton hurt himself in the first half. This is a major setback for the Magpies.



Lewis Miley came off the bench for the Brazilian after 47 minutes of the match at the Stadium of Light. This 27-year-old will be out for at least six weeks, according to head coach <a href="https://theathletic.com/5197907/2024/01/12/joelinton-newcastle-injury-howe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eddie Howe’s postgame comments</a>.



“The prospects over the next couple of weeks aren’t good. It’s an injury that will make him miss a minimum of six weeks. Joelinton is a huge player for us, it’s a big blow. He’s had a stop-start season.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240119_WST_484359_Newcastle-Joelinton-1200x670_9b89c4c1.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=670" alt="" class="wp-image-484436" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Newcastle-Joelinton-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Newcastle-Joelinton-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Newcastle-Joelinton-768x429.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Newcastle-Joelinton.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



“He’s got a problem with the tendon in his quad. It’s a very difficult place to get an injury, hence the timeframe. He’s very disappointed. We’ve had to do a job of picking Joe up because he’s very disappointed.



“We haven’t wanted to focus on the injury situation as it’s an injury. It’s another freak one, he’s off-balance trying to switch play, his leg is in an awkward angle, and he picks up another injury. We’re really stretched in attacking and midfield areas, we have been for a long time, and it’s inhibited our ability to rest players and change within games.”



<h2>What now for player and club?</h2>



Joelinton won’t play again this year since he has surgery scheduled for next week. The fact that his current contract only has 18 months left means that he might leave before he makes another appearance.



The St. James’ Park outfit allegedly cannot afford the current salary demands of the ex-Hoffenheim star, according to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12980235/Joelinton-Newcastle-contract-stand-18-months.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Daily Mail</a>. The midfielder is seeking a significant increase so that he may become one of the club’s highest earners.



However, things are now tense between the two sides. The article goes on to say that if they don’t find a way to meet halfway, the player’s future is uncertain.



Instead of taking the chance of losing him the next season, the Magpies may try to cash in this summer. When the summer transfer window rolls around, Newcastle will have one last opportunity to sell him.



If not, come January of next year, he will be free to negotiate with foreign teams. The report also suggests that <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/bournemouths-eddie-howe-could-be-the-perfect-choice-as-future-england-manager-20150428-CMS-137886.html">Eddie Howe</a> is reportedly hell-bent on retaining Joelinton, so losing the midfielder would be a devastating blow.



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Howe admits Joelinton may have played final Newcastle game

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Joelinton suffers big injury: What it means for Newcastle future