Jonjo Shelvey: Pundit shares ‘shock’ verdict after Monday update on Newcastle star’s future
Jonjo Shelvey is good enough to be a star at Newcastle United for years to come despite the club looking to make “huge” signings.
That’s according to former West Ham hitman Frank McAvennie, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the “damn good” Magpies star.
On Monday, the Telegraph reported Shelvey, 29, is in line for a new contract.
His current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2023.
The midfielder has experienced a resurgence under Eddie Howe, starting all but one of the Premier League games he has managed as Newcastle boss.
McAvennie insists Shelvey is deserving of a new deal and claims he could get a game for most Premier League teams.
“It comes as a shock but it makes sense from a business standpoint because they won’t want to let him go for nothing,” McAvennie told Football Insider correspondent Ben Wild.
“He has done really well at Newcastle and he will probably be up for the fight when Newcastle sign all of these huge players in the summer.
“It’s a win-win for Shelvey. I imagine he’s on decent money at Newcastle and if he does end up leaving then there will be no shortage of suitors for him.
“I still think he’s a good player and he could probably settle in most Premier League teams.
“He’s a damn good player, he just doesn’t do it enough. He has been brilliant since Howe came in though.
“So the Jonjo Shelvey Eddie Howe has seen every day, that’s the Shelvey he wants to give the contract to.
“The Shelvey that sometimes goes off the boil and doesn’t perform, that’s the one who can’t come back.”
In other news, a pundit fears Guimaraes faces a long wait for first Newcastle United start amid a ‘surprising’ verdict.