Jonjo Shelvey is a player that seems to have been around forever and it is amazing that he is just 24. In fact, he made his debut at the age of just 16 in the Championship for Charlton. After a few years of first team football, it was inevitable that the Premier Leagues top clubs would soon be knocking at his door.
And so they did, and it was Liverpool that he joined. But things didn’t quite go to plan there, and he had to re-find himself at Swansea where he had a good spell and his career really started to take off, and his form saw him make it into the England squad and make 5 appearances before joining Newcastle.
He is clearly one of Newcastle’s best players and they did very well to keep him in the summer so it is fair to say that he will be a key man in their promotion bid. Here are three reasons why he will be so important:
Passing ability
The best area of Jonjo Shelvey’s game is his ability to pass the ball. The midfielder is capable of controlling a game and creating chances and this will surely be vital in Newcastle’s bid for promotion. It is obvious that he is a cut above most other midfielders in the Championship, and they say that midfield is where the game is won and lost. Newcastle have a wealth of options in forward areas and out wide, and have been playing nice passing football, so it will be down to Shelvey to instigate all of their attacks and get the ball to their danger men. So far the midfielder has 5 assists in 13 starts which is a great return.
Experience
As previously mentioned, it feels like Shelvey has been around forever. At 24 he is an experienced player with over 250 appearances under his belt at a range of levels, from League One, The Championship, Premier League, Europe and International. Many Premier League players could possibly struggle when dropping down into the Championship, but Shelvey has experience in playing in this league and it is where he made his name. He is also a leader in the team, and whilst he isn’t captain currently, he captained the Newcastle side last season having been there for just one month so it shows how highly they think of his leadership.
Desire to play at the top
It is clear that Shelvey won’t be happy with playing many seasons in the Championship, and will want to get back to playing at the very top level and pushing for a place in the England squad once more. But he always obviously wants to stay at Newcastle and play for the big north east club. So as a player capable of bossing games in the Championship, his desire to succeed in gaining promotion will be a massive bonus this season.
Editor Notes: The stats are taken Prior to the Cardiff game