Joelinton has revealed he is working every day to repay the Newcastle United faithful for their unwavering support. During Joelinton's first season, his £40million price tag weighed heavy as the Brazilian struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League.
But he gradually worked his way up to become a crowd favourite at St James' Park, and 150 appearances later he is one of the first names on Eddie Howe's team sheet.
Joelinton, speaking directly after the win over Spurs on Sunday, told Chronicle Live: "I want to work hard and make the fans happy. It was tough at the start but I kept going and never got my head down.
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"That work is showing now. Hopefully we can keep it going."
Joelinton was serenaded during the hammering of Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park as he slotted home his seventh of the season. With seven matches left he can add to that tally and he knows it's a decent haul so far given he has been moved between midfield and attack frequently this season.
Joelinton said: "Champions League football is a dream. I have already played in it with Hoffenheim. With seven games to go, we know we have seven finals. It's not done of course."
Newcastle face an Everton team who are in a relegation dogfight and the growing prospect of a drop to the Championship. Joelinton knows it is time for focus rather than just talk.
The £40million man said: "It is an important game tonight. Sunday was great but we had to prepare again. Everyone enjoyed it on Sunday. But now we focus on the next one. It's seven finals to play as I've said. We can only go one game at a time."
Joelinton now has 21 goals to his name in all competitions from those 150 appearances. But he is hungry to add to that tally and would love to be on the scoresheet on Merseyside this evening.
Joelinton said: "I'm very pleased but I wish I had more. I'm happy to help the team with the goals. I want to make more assists and add more goals to my game. I'm happy to help the team, everybody has been great and we're all on the same pages."
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