Bournemouth star Nathan Ake believes Joelinton is “very dangerous” and Newcastle’s biggest threat heading into today’s game.
The £40m Brazilian may not have convinced some Newcastle fans so far this season, but he’s clearly caught Ake’s eye, who feels the ‘tall and strong’ striker will be ‘tough’ to play against.
Here’s what the classy Dutch defender has had to say ahead of his side’s trip to Tyneside, picking out Joelinton when asked to name our biggest threat:
“So far Joelinton has been a threat.
“He is very dangerous, tall and strong.
“It will be a challenge but we will prepare for that.
“It’s a very big game, I think it’s going to be tough.
“It’s a tough place to go but to be able to get a positive result there just before the international break will be huge.
“Lately they have been doing really well.
“They are tough to break down and they bought a big striker.
“We have to make sure we are on our game.”
He showed some promising signs last weekend, holding up the ball much better, running himself into the ground and being a handful for the West Ham defence all afternoon, however we need to see more from him in the attacking third.
With just 1 goal and 1 assist so far this season, we’re yet to see that cutting edge and killer instinct you’d expect from a ‘£40m player’, but must also remember that he’s a young player who’s clearly low on confidence as he tries to adapt to a new league, a new team and a new role as a lone striker.
Hopefully he can put in another big shift today and bag his first goal at St James’ Park against the Cherries. They were the first side Salomon Rondon scored against at home in black and white, so let’s hope they can be a lucky omen for his fellow South American!
You cannot fault anyone in this team for effort. Their attitude is great We wanted to see more attacking football and we are getting it. I’m a big fan of Rafa but he’s gone and Bruce is doing brilliantly. Staying away isn’t supporting the team.
Michael Smith(Quote)