Jonjo Shelvey was once told by a Newcastle United team-mate that he was good enough for Barcelona – despite now playing in Turkey.
The maverick midfielder plies his trade for Eyupspor in the Turkish Super Lig these days, having joined the fourth-placed outfit from Nottingham Forest in the summer after a season-long loan with Caykur Rizespor. It marks a drastic change for the former England international, who made a commendable 278 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool, Swansea City, Newcastle and Forest.
Shelvey, once considered one of the country’s most promising young talents, secured a big move to Anfield in the summer of 2010, leaving his boyhood club Charlton for £1.7million. And after a career in the English top flight where he managed 23 goals, 27 assists and five red cards, the 32-year-old has no regrets about how he departed either Liverpool or Newcastle, who play each other this evening (December 4).
Reflecting on his career in a 2020 interview with Sky Sports, Shelvey said: “My career could have been a lot better, to be honest with you. Don’t get me wrong, by the time I finish I will have had a fantastic career. But you do sit there sometimes and think, ‘could I have gone higher? Could I have been playing in the Champions League?’
“Hopefully one day I still will, but time’s running out now. You go back in the past and you’ve probably made certain decisions that were wrong.” His career trajectory has been some way off his ex-Newcastle team-mate Matt Richie’s bold claim that he could have been good enough to play for Barcelona.
(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“Someone sent me a picture of me in a Barcelona shirt next to Messi,” Shelvey later laughed, jokingly adding: “It’s very flattering for people to say stuff like that and Matty obviously knows his football. But I was a bit peed off that he said I play golf three times a week. He’s killed me with that.”
Shelvey’s early promise at Liverpool earned him his first England cap in 2012, but he opted to leave for Swansea in search of regular football, ignoring Brendan Rodgers’ advice to stay. Although he has no regrets as such, he admits it would have been a smarter choice to remain at Anfield.
“I was only 21 when I left,” he recalled. “I wasn’t happy playing one or two games then coming out of the team. I wanted to carry on playing week in, week out. When you’re playing once and then not playing for six games, I don’t care what any footballer says, you don’t feel involved. You don’t feel part of the team.
(Image: 2016 Newcastle United)
“I think that was the feeling I wanted but, in hindsight, should I have stayed? Probably, yeah. Even if it was only for another year or two, just to see how things changed. But it is what it is at the end of the day. Every decision I’ve made in my career was just to play, to try and get as much game-time as possible. I can’t say I’ve got too many regrets.”
Shelvey, who earned an FA Cup runners-up medal with Liverpool in the 2011/2012 season, left Swansea in a £12m move to the Magpies in January 2016. Despite suffering relegation in his debut season, he became instrumental in their Championship-winning campaign the following year, making 47 appearances and helping the team secure a Premier League return.
After a seven-year spell and over 200 appearances in the north east, Shelvey decided it was time to move on in early 2023, despite the club’s recent transformation under the Saudi Arabia-led takeover. He bid the fans an emotional farewell at St James’ Park after the EFL Cup semi-final win over Southampton.
(Image: (Photo by Bruno de Carvalho/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images))
Shelvey acknowledged manager Eddie Howe’s positive impact but cited a need for a new challenge, requesting to leave after enduring time on the side-lines with injury. He told The Guardian at the time: “It was hard leaving but I can’t say I regret leaving. I’m happy for whatever they [Newcastle] do. I hope they win the final and get into Europe.
“Eddie said he couldn’t let me go at first and then I sort of pleaded with him to let me go. He said he would sleep on it but then he said he would only let me go if they could get one in. I said I needed to leave for a fresh start and put my points across, and the next day he pulled me, we had a little chat and he granted my wish. Eddie said he wouldn’t stand in the way of my happiness.”
His stint at Forest was plagued by injuries and following a disagreement with manager Steve Cooper, he did not appear in any more matches. He was left out of Forest’s 2023/24 pre-season camp and was not given a squad number for the season, leading him to take up a new adventure in Turkey.
Shelvey’s two former clubs, Liverpool and Newcastle, face off tonight in the Premier League. Despite their tough run of fixtures, the Reds have been unstoppable under Arne Slot this season and lead the Premier League table by nine points, while Howe’s men are in 11th place.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-jonjo-shelvey-barcelona-liverpool-30514749
