Credit: Imago
Thu 13 November 2025 18:30, UK
Joelinton’s form has suffered at Newcastle, and Eddie Howe could land an upgrade on the Brazilian in January.
Howe is looking to overhaul his squad in the upcoming transfer window after watching his side drop down the Premier League table like a stone.
Newcastle’s 3-1 defeat to Brentford before the international break left them above the relegation places by just two points.
It’s been a disastrous start to the campaign for the Magpies, who have watched several of their players struggle, including Joelinton.
The midfielder was forced off in the 24th minute during the loss to Brentford, but whilst it has since emerged that Joelinton is fit to face Manchester City after the break, his place in the starting lineup could soon be under threat.
Smit has been linked to Crystal Palace. Credit: Imago
Newcastle eyeing Kees Smit as a possible Joelinton rival
While Dr Dan Plumley told Football Insider that Newcastle will be cautious with their spending due to the threat of PSR, new sporting director Ross Wilson is already eyeing a bargain from across the continent.
On November 13, it was revealed that Newcastle have been scouting AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit, the 19-year-old linked with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
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Interestingly, Premier League rivals Crystal Palace are also confident of signing Smit ahead of January, with a £20million price tag mooted.
As Football Insider revealed on November 10 that Newcastle could replace Joelinton, the AZ star is someone who should emerge as a strong candidate, especially from a creative standpoint.
Smit has drawn comparisons to Kevin De Bruyne due to his incredible technical qualities, and he could pose as an upgrade on Joelinton.
How Smit compares to Joelinton
Newcastle have arguably one of the best midfield trios in the Premier League, as Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes can dominate against any team on their day.
Credit: Getty Images
But whilst the Brazilian’s strength and power have driven the Toon forward, Smit would add a sprinkle of creativity, dominating the former Hoffenheim man across multiple metrics.
Stats per 90 past yearJoelintonKees SmitProgressive passes4.525.78Progressive carries1.381.97Successful take-ons0.461.14Pass completion82.4%85%Shot-creating actions2.334.12Shots total1.571.75Stats sourced via FBref
The above table suggests that Smit destroys the Newcastle man across multiple creative and attacking metrics, including carries, take-ons and shots.
Of course, while replacing the 6′ 3″ presence of Joelinton could impact their midfield balance, the wonderkid is levels ahead of him technically at just 19 and would arguably enable Howe’s men to control matches better.
