Amongst the avalanche of players that have been falsely linked with January moves to Newcastle since the transfer window swung open last week, one name appears to have some substance behind it.
The Chronicle claim that Magpies’ head coach Steve McClaren holds a genuine interest in out-of-favour Swansea City midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, and a bid for the Englishman – who is reportedly valued at around £10million – could be in the offing over the coming weeks.
Shelvey was said to be furious that Swans’ chairman Huw Jenkins singled him out for criticism in the wake of Garry Monk’s shock sacking last month, and the former Charlton Athletic starlet – who didn’t even make the squad in the Jacks’ last outing at Old Trafford – has subsequently been cast into the wilderness at the Liberty Stadium.
The young midfielder’s rapid plummet down the Swansea ranks represents an almighty fall from grace for a player who was heavily tipped for a key role at this summer’s European Championships after starring in a series of qualifiers for England back in September.
Although the rationale behind Shelvey’s recent omissions appears to be political rather than performance based, the 23-year-old has struggled to replicate the terrific form that helped propel Swansea to a record-breaking eighth-placed league finish during the 2014/15 campaign.
For large chunks of last season, Shelvey was the Swans’ water carrier in the centre of the park, showcasing his boundless range of passing and sharp football intellect to set the tone and dominate the midfield battle – an area where a majority of top flight games are won or lost.
However, for all of his undoubted ability, question marks over the England international’s attitude and application have been ubiquitous ever since he burst onto the scene with Liverpool in 2010.
Many eyebrows were raised when former Reds’ boss Brendan Rodgers chose to move Shelvey on to Swansea for a relatively paltry £5million fee back in 2013, but, upon deeper inspection, it became apparent that his behaviour behind the scenes had forced the Northern Irish manager’s hand.
Legendary Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher revealed that Shelvey’s lack of discipline fatally undermined his chances of fulfilling his potential on Merseyside, claiming that he showed ill-discipline and petulance in training at least “two to three times a week” during his stint at the club.
Even Shelvey’s former Swansea City manager Garry Monk – who was a fervid advocate of his talent – had to rein in the feisty midfielder’s overzealous approach, claiming that he had to “wise up” after picking up seven yellow cards and one red over the first half of last season.
Despite being overly cantankerous at times, it’s clear that Shelvey has developed and matured as a player over the past 12 months.
Where he would formally match a moment of genius with a chaotic back pass or rash tackle, the Englishman can now perform at a consistent level for 90 minutes, thriving in a quarterback role at the heart of the Swans’ midfield three.
A major flaw of Newcastle’s current side is that our centre midfielders’ limited arsenal of passing means the team are left playing ‘crab football’, a style of play where the ball is constantly passed sideways or backwards, much to the delight of their opponents.
The Magpies’ best performances of the season have come against sides that have taken the game to them, such as Liverpool and Tottenham, yet, when they face opponents who are happy to sit back and absorb pressure, their predictable tempo and palpable lack of creativity means they struggle to create any clear cut chances, leaving the strikers to feed off scraps.
In 16 games this season, Shelvey has made 21 key passes, as opposed to Jack Colback’s eight and Vurnon Anita’s three, whilst the Swans’ midfielder has also created 23 goalscoring opportunities, in comparison to the eight and four fashioned by his Newcastle counterparts.
From these statistics, it’s evident that the Swansea man would add some much-needed attacking impetus to a barren United side that have scored just 19 goals in 20 Premier League games this season.
Defensively, Shelvey’s game could certainly do with some refinement, but Newcastle already possess three talented deep-lying midfielder’s who can perform the graveyard shift that would allow him to flourish in the middle of the park.
The dynamic Englishman is hell-bent on creating chances, and his superb passing range and keen eye for goal would go someway towards remedying the Magpies’ goalscoring woes.
St James’ Park can be a daunting place for footballers to ply their trade and, in the midst of a fierce relegation battle, Shelvey’s dicey temperament would certainly face the litmus test.
However, the Toon Army adore creative players who can unlock defences with something out of the ordinary and, although it’s a risk, with the correct management I think the former Liverpool man would be a stellar addition to a sterile Newcastle midfield.
Whether Swansea will be willing to do business with a side that are directly competing with them at the foot of the table remains to be seen, and, amid rumoured interest from Crystal Palace, the Magpies will have to pull out all the stops to convince the Essex born midfielder to make the switch to the North East.
Nevertheless, if there’s any chance that a deal for the enigmatic 23-year-old can be struck this month, Newcastle MUST pounce with intent.
Would you be in favour of a January move for Jonjo Shelvey? Let us know in the comments, or contact us on Twitter at @NUFC360