Former Newcastle United director Amanda Staveley believes there was only one “very good” player in the squad prior to PIF’s takeover.
Indeed, the squad isn’t quite completely unrecognisable to how it was prior to the PIF takeover but it’s certainly getting that way.
Though things could change during the January transfer window, there are only seven players in the Newcastle United squad who joined the club during Mike Ashley’s ownership.
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They are Joelinton, Joe Willock, Jacob Murphy, Fabian Schar, Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles and Mark Gillespie.
Staveley, who helped transform Newcastle’s fortunes before leaving in 2024, believes only one of those represented a “very good” player.
Amanda Staveley says Joelinton was Newcastle United’s only real star before PIF
Staveley was speaking at the World Sports Summit alongside husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi in Dubai.
The two were asked about the challenges of moving into sport, particularly taking over a club in the state Newcastle United were in prior to their arrival.
Staveley opened up on what they found when they arrived at St James’ Park and named Joelinton the one very good player in the squad prior to PIF’s investment.
Sum up Joelinton’s performance in three words!
She said: “We had a very thin, aged squad. There was probably one very good player in Joelinton and he was playing the wrong role. “
That does feel very harsh on the likes of Willock, Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson, who had all helped keep Steve Bruce’s side in the Premier League in the first place.
Prior to Eddie Howe’s appointment, Joelinton was far from a star himself. Signed from Hoffenheim in 2019, he struggled as a striker until Howe turned him into an all-action midfielder.
Why Eddie Howe changed Joelinton’s position at Newcastle United
Joelinton is a Newcastle United legend, having produced a colossal performance in the victorious Carabao Cup final earlier this year.
Though Joelinton has struggled this season, there’s little doubt he etched his name into the club’s folklore on that day at Wembley.
It’s amazing to think that his move to a midfield role came as a complete accident.
Ciaran Clark was sent off against Norwich at St James’ in November 2021, leaving Newcastle down to ten men in a vital game towards the bottom of the Premier League.
As such, Howe tinkered and brought Joelinton into the midfield role he has rarely strayed from since.
Speaking about that particular decision in November 2024, Howe told a press conference: “The first time I saw him, I thought, ‘what a player he is’. It led to me very quickly to thinking why has he not been a success.
“In terms of the position, we stumbled upon it and he has taken that opportunity superbly well. He has looked natural.
“In previous clubs he had played in a deeper role as a number 10, but his defensive qualities have been as good as his attacking. The player deserves huge credit for that transformation because it is not an easy transition.
“He does pride himself on being the athlete you want to see. He has strength and speed. He is like a brick wall, you cannot move him. The physical side is probably his biggest strength.”
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