Joelinton sends heartfelt Eddie Howe message and backs Matthias Jaissle

Joelinton has opened up on Eddie Howe’s huge influence on his Newcastle United career, while also backing new head coach Matthias Jaissle to take the club to the next level.

The Brazilian’s comments come as he continues his recovery from a quad injury and has yet to feature in any of our seven games in all competitions this season.

Joelinton pays tribute to Eddie Howe

Howe played a huge role in transforming Joelinton from a struggling striker into a midfield powerhouse at Newcastle, with the 30-year-old going from a £40m flop to a full Brazil international.

Joelinton has now told The Chronicle he will always be grateful for the faith Howe showed in him, particularly when he gave him the trust to play in a new position, a move which revitalised his career.

“He trusted me from day one, and I will always be grateful for everything he did for me.  He improved my game a lot and gave me the chance to play midfield. 

"He always trusted me, so I just have good things to say about Eddie, and I wish him all the best for the future.

"I think everyone will remember him as a great head coach who had a great time here. 

"He was not only a great head coach but a great man as well. I have a lot of good things to say about Eddie, we just had a great relationship from day one.

"But now this is in the past. What he did is history now and stays in the past."

It is difficult to overstate just how important that positional change was to Joelinton’s Newcastle career.

Big Joe went from struggling under Steve Bruce following his big-money move from Hoffenheim to becoming one of the most important players in the side, eventually establishing himself as a powerful and reliable presence in midfield.

Joe backs Jaissle to take Toon to the next level

While Howe’s time at Newcastle is now history, Joelinton is fully focused on what comes next under Jaissle.

“Now we move on as a club at Newcastle because football never stops. We hope to achieve great things with Matthias Jaissle now.

"We were not together (at Hoffenheim), he left one year before I joined Hoffenheim but I knew of him. I know he is a great head coach and he is here because he has done well at other clubs. 

"He is a young coach with great ideas; he has had success before, so it is a great addition for this club. I hope he can keep on improving the team and take us to the next level."

Joelinton is yet to play a single minute in the 2026/27 season after picking up an injury, meaning Jaissle has also had to begin his Newcastle reign without his newly appointed vice-captain.

The hope will be that the international break gives Joelinton enough time to continue his recovery and move closer to a return, with him one of NINE senior players to miss last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Hull.

How he fits into Jaissle’s 4-2-3-1 system is open for debate, but his role as vice-captain suggests he still has a big part to play, be it on or off the pitch.