Jonjo Shelvey could reignite his career with Leeds United transfer
Leeds United have approached Nottingham Forest about the availability of midfielder Jonjo Shelvey this summer according to TeamTalk, in a move that may be perfect for all parties.
The website reported on Monday 21 August that Forest are open to offers for the former Liverpool midfielder who hasn’t featured in the opening two squads this season following a bust-up with Steve Cooper last campaign.
Daniel Farke is looking to strengthen his midfield options having sold Tyler Adams to Bournemouth as well as losing Weston McKennie, Adam Forshaw and Marc Roca earlier in the window, leaving the Whites short of options in the middle of the park.
The potential signing of Shelvey offers an exciting prospect for both the player and Leeds United, with the 31-year-old in desperate need of a switch away from the City Ground to reignite what is quickly becoming a disappointing end to his career.
While Shelvey has been far from his best in the Premier League in recent years, he possesses a skillset from the middle of the park that very few of his positional peers are capable of, with an excellent range of passing that is as good as most players in the Premier League.
At his best in the Premier League, he carried a genuine goal threat from midfield as well, sitting in the 89th percentile for non-penalty xG per 90 minutes played of all midfielders in the 2019/20 campaign, according to Fbref, and the season before he managed an incredible 4.84 shot creating options per game.
The glaringly obvious caveat to all the praise put on Shelvey so far is just how long ago this impressive form was. He has struggled to settle at Forest only making 11 Premier League appearances last season and barely made an impact towards the end of his time with Newcastle.
But a step down to the Championship alongside a young Leeds United midfield may well see him rediscover some of that form that helped him earn six England caps when he was younger. The vast experience would also help the likes of Archie Gray to navigate his first real season of consistent first-team football.
The gap in quality between the top flight and the Championship isn’t as big as it once was, but there are plenty of players who haven’t been able to cut it in the Premier League that have been able to have an impact in the second tier.
Shelvey’s added experience and sprinkling of magic that is left in that right foot could help Leeds make an immediate return to the Premier League.
Previous comments
Another thing that may deter some Leeds United supporters are previous comments made by the former Swansea City midfielder, who discussed having to mark Rodrigo on the Studs Up Podcast (26 February 2021) and remarked with all the running the Spaniard had to do that he, “couldn’t play for Leeds.”
That Leeds side was at the height of Marcelo Biesla’s reign when the Whites were a pressing machine, a different philosophy to that which has been employed by Daniel Farke since he arrived at Elland Road.
You’d imagine Shelvey would be more interested in donning the famous white shirt now as a veteran holding midfield as opposed to a rampaging, pressing number 10.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are set for crucial talks with Everton over Gnonto’s future in the coming days