Yahoo News Forgotten Joselu press release at Newcastle United paved the way for Real Madrid glory
There were bigger things going on in pre-season 2019 when the press release dropped through that Spanish striker Joselu was leaving Newcastle United.
His exit was already well under way before Steve Bruce had been appointed as the new boss of the Magpies. After landing in China a few days late for the tour of the Far East, Bruce was hastily briefed that Joselu was leaving and the funds would help bring in Joelinton from Hoffenheim - he put up no fight to keep the striker and there was no reason to after such a low goal return rate under the previous boss.
Bruce had no say on either deal but went along with the recruitment decisions regardless, knowing he had bigger fish to fry at St James' Park, starting with a PR battle to try to get fans onside after a hot reception to news of his appointment. In the end, Newcastle picked up a fee of around £6million for Joselu.
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It will be a sale that will have Mike Ashley scratching his head after he watched Real Madrid score two late goals to sink Bayern Munich in the Champions League. At 34, Joselu will get the chance to play at Wembley in the Champions League final and it all feels like a far cry since the intense days in which he suffered plenty of stick on Tyneside.
He'd arrived in 2017 as a low key signing from Stoke City in a move that Rafa Benitez had to justify to doubters. Benitez signed Joselu because he knew he was a hard worker and would have a presence in attack.
Benitez said back in 2018: "In this new world that football is in now, where everything is so expensive, we knew that he could score goals and make a contribution. He is doing that. He is doing a great job for the team, and is working really hard. He is scoring goals and I am quite happy with him.
"His attitude has been really good. It is not just if you score goals – everybody is expecting that a striker has to score goals – but in a team like us that might not create as many chances as you want, then they have to work hard."
It started off steadily for Joselu with Newcastle as he grabbed a goal in a 3-0 win over West Ham and actually scored in front of a watching Amanda Staveley in a 1-1 draw over Liverpool in October 2017. Few could have predicted that seven years later, Staveley would be United's co-owner and Joselu would be scoring goals to take Real Madrid to Wembley.
But football is a crazy game. Joselu ended his first season with Newcastle with four goals in 32 appearances as United finished 10th.
He wasn't a bad player, he was just at a club that was in the middle of a political meltdown between manager and owner. And you become a product of your environment.
His second season, the 2018/19 campaign, was even less impactful as he ended the campaign with three goals in 20 appearances. Joselu's campaign had started better as he netted twice in his first three games against Spurs and Chelsea. But he struggled for confidence and form, culminating in a penalty miss against Burnley.
His spot-kick failure at the Gallowgate End, saved by Nick Pope of all people, proved to be fateful for the striker. Benitez left the club later that year and Joselu never played again for Newcastle after that night against Burnley.
Benitez said then: "He was a little bit down the day after, but he has been training well and we will see how he reacts. But my message for him and for any of our players is that they have to carry on. We don't have time to complain or think about what could have happened in the past. We just have to be sure that in the future, we are ready."
By that time Newcastle had signed Islam Slimani from Leicester on loan and it would be the beginning of the end for Joselu. That 2019 Press release dropped through two days in the Bruce era.
It read: "Joselu has left Newcastle to join Alaves. The 29-year-old moved to St. James’ Park from Stoke in 2017 but found first-team opportunities hard to come by."
But it was only the beginning of the end for Joselu at Newcastle, not in his career. For 36 La Liga goals in 100 starts for Alaves alerted Espanyol. A £2.5million move to Espanyol saw him score 16 goals and then earn a spectacular loan move to Real Madrid. Joselu has 19 goals to his name in the famous white shirts of Real Madrid, and already has a title winners medal in the bag.
He could now add a Champions League winners medal to that collection ahead of the June showpiece at Wembley with Borussia Dortmund. It's all a far cry from the day in which that press release would have ended up filling a solitary small column just five years ago!
