Joelinton revealed to
Steve Bruce that playing in the Premier League is 'not quite the same' as life in the Bundesliga however, the Newcastle United head coach has been 'delighted' with the start he has made. The Magpies had a number of scouting reports compiled on Joelinton last season while a member of Bruce's staff, coincidentally, watched the Brazilian play for Hoffenheim against Man City in the Champions League in December. A club-record £40m deal had been cooking for some time however, given how Rafa Benitez had the final say on transfers until June 30, it only got the green light six days after Bruce's appointment. Joelinton scored his first goal for the club in the 1-0 win at Spurs the previous week and Bruce has been encouraged by how the No.9 has taken to life in England following his performance against Watford on Saturday. “He didn’t have much to feed off in terms of chances, however, I thought his all-round performance was excellent. He was only 23 the previous week and is coming to terms," he told reporters after the 1-1 draw.
"I had a conversation with him comparing the Bundesliga to the Premier League and, with a wry smile, he said, 'Hmmm. It's not quite the same!' "He is learning and I’ve been delighted with him the last couple of weeks. I thought today he looked a real big, big threat." Joelinton was one of five signings Newcastle made in the final 16 days of the transfer window and Andy Carroll was the only new addition who had previously played in the Premier League and was over the age of 25. That is why character and experience of adapting to a new country were so important to the club's recruitment team when they decided to push ahead with moves for Allan Saint-Maximin, Jetro Willems and Emil Krafth. The new signings have barely had time to catch their breaths - some are still living in hotels - however, Bruce has been pleased by the progress they are already making. "Jetro has come in and the difference with him in two or three weeks. They all need time to adapt," he said. "Just getting used to the Premier League. "We haven't seen one or two yet however, hopefully over the next couple of weeks now we can have a little bit more of a threat at the top end of the pitch and see where we're with people getting fit." Following five games in all competitions in little more than two-and-a-half weeks, Newcastle head into the international break in 14th place in the Premier League. Martin Dubravka, Fabian Schar, Emil Krafth and Miguel Almiron will now join up with their respective nations and Bruce will use the next two weeks to reflect and prepare for a trip to Liverpool on September 14. "For all the nonsense, it's a great club, I'm delighted and I've really enjoyed it," he added. "You have got to take the stuff however, I've been around a long time and I've enjoyed the last seven-and-a-half weeks. I don't think I've even been home yet! I might take a couple of days back home. "We'll watch the internationals and all the rest of it however, I think it's a time where you can just reflect. We've given them a couple of days off and then they'll have the weekend off and we'll prepare all week and you hope the internationals don't get injured."