Abdulhafiz TeslimNewcastle United have come a long way since the Saudi-led takeover, with the club spending heavily to transform the squad and compete at the highest level.
A number of those major investments have worked brilliantly. The likes of Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon all arrived for significant fees before eventually leaving Tyneside for substantial profits.
But not every expensive signing has followed the same path.
One player who arrived during the early years of the new era has increasingly found himself on the outside looking in, and with Newcastle making another major investment in the squad this summer, serious questions are now being raised about his long-term future.
The comparison with Chris Wood is particularly uncomfortable.
Wood arrived at St James’ Park in January 2022 for around £25m. Newcastle believed the experienced Premier League striker could provide an immediate solution, but his time on Tyneside never really worked out.
He made 39 appearances for the club during his year-long spell and scored only five goals. Newcastle eventually allowed him to leave for Nottingham Forest in a deal worth around £15m, meaning they took a £10m hit on the original investment.
What made that decision even more painful was what happened afterwards.
Wood became a completely different player at Forest, scoring 41 goals in 105 appearances and even returning to haunt Newcastle with a hat-trick.
Now, one current Newcastle player is being placed in a similar conversation — although for very different reasons.
The club spent around £40m to bring him to Tyneside back in 2019, making him Newcastle’s record signing at the time. Initially brought in as a centre-forward, he struggled to produce the goals expected of him.
His Newcastle career was eventually rescued when he was moved into midfield.
That change of position transformed his reputation. He became an important player under Eddie Howe and developed into a powerful, energetic midfielder capable of contributing at both ends of the pitch.
However, the situation has changed dramatically.
At 30 years old, the Brazilian started only 23 Premier League matches last season, while a muscle injury has kept him out of Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle side so far this campaign.
More importantly, Newcastle have now strengthened their midfield considerably.
The arrival of players such as Sean Steur and Nico González has increased competition, while the club’s overall recruitment strategy suggests that the hierarchy wants a younger and more competitive squad.
That could leave the experienced midfielder fighting for minutes once he returns from injury.
And this is where the £80m figure comes into the conversation.
His original £40m transfer fee, combined with an estimated £40m in wages over his time at the club, means Newcastle have potentially spent around £80m on the player.
There is no doubt that he has contributed more to Newcastle than Wood did, particularly after successfully reinventing himself as a midfielder.
But the question is whether his overall contribution has justified such a huge financial outlay.
With his contract situation and age becoming increasingly relevant, Newcastle could potentially look to cash in next summer if an acceptable offer arrives.
The problem is that, unlike some of their other major investments, the Magpies are unlikely to recover anything close to what they have spent.
The player in question is Joelinton.
And with Newcastle now pushing towards a new era under Jaissle, the Brazilian could find himself facing one of the biggest fights of his Newcastle career just to remain part of the manager’s plans.
Abdulhafiz Teslim
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