Jonjo Shelvey pleaded to leave both Liverpool and Newcastle before settling for a football career in Turkey, despite once being told he could have made it at Barcelona
Jonjo Shelvey was once told he could play for Barcelona – but now plays in Turkey after asking to leave both Liverpool and Newcastle.
The maverick central-midfielder currently plies his trade for Eyupspor in the Turkish Super Lig, having joined the fourth-placed team from Nottingham Forest back in August after a season-long loan with Caykur Rizespor.
It represents a big change for the ex-England international to the high-octane Premier League, where he racked up an impressive 278 appearances for Liverpool, Swansea City, Newcastle and Forest.
Shelvey, once considered one of the country’s brightest young talents, made his big move to Anfield in the summer of 2010, signing from his boyhood club Charlton for £1.7million. Now, with 23 top-flight goals, 27 assists and five red cards to his name, the 32-year-old insists he has no regrets about how he departed either Liverpool or Newcastle, who face off against each other this evening.
He told Sky Sports in a 2020 interview: “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 trajectory comes as a stark contrast to his ex-Newcastle team-mate Matt Richie’s bold assessment that he could have easily played for Barcelona once upon a time.
“I say it to him very regularly, he’s that good,” Ritchie told the In The Box podcast in May 2020, before adding that Shelvey could have done so if he had only reduced his time on the golf course and focused on football.
“Someone sent me a picture of me in a Barcelona shirt next to Messi,” Shelvey later chuckled, 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 enjoyed a promising start at Liverpool and was rewarded with his first England cap against San Marino in October 2012. The midfielder now accepts that he should have listened to Brendan Rodgers’ advice not to leave for Swansea in pursuit of consistent playing time, but still has no regrets today.
“I was only 21 when I left,” he explained. “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.
“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 Newcastle in January 2016. Despite suffering relegation in his debut season, he became pivotal in their Championship-winning campaign the following year, making 47 appearances and helping the team secure a Premier League return.
After seven years and over 200 appearances for the Magpies, Shelvey felt it was time to move on in early 2023, despite the club’s transformation under the Saudi Arabia-led takeover. He expressed his mixed emotions upon leaving, especially after an emotional goodbye at St James’ Park following the EFL Cup semi-final victory against Southampton.
Although manager Eddie Howe was initially reluctant to let him go, Shelvey was adamant about needing a fresh start. Speaking to The Guardian, he revealed: “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 blighted by injury and following a fallout with manager Steve Cooper, he failed to make any more appearances. He was notably absent from Forest’s 2023/24 pre-season camp and wasn’t assigned a squad number for the season, leading him to embark on a new journey in Turkey.
Two of Shelvey’s former clubs, Liverpool and Newcastle, are set to face off tonight (Wednesday) in the Premier League. Despite the relentless schedule, the Reds have been on a roll under Arne Slot this season and lead the Premier League table by nine points after defeating Manchester City 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, on the other hand, are in 11th place, 15 points behind ahead of the 7.30pm match-up.
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