Jonjo Shelvey v Aaron Mooy – Who Will Be The Most Effective In The Premier League?
Aside from scouting new talent, a priority for promoted sides is to ensure they keep hold of their better players responsible for the ascension in the first place.
In the cases of Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United, their midfield dynamos Aaron Mooy and Jonjo Shelvey are a major reason why they are where they are at present and both have remained with their clubs. Mooy has signed permanently for Huddersfield from Manchester City while Shelvey looks settled on Tyneside with four years left remaining on his current contract.
Who will have more influence in the coming Premier League season though? It’s perhaps an unfair comparison given that Mooy couldn’t break into a top division outfit while Shelvey has proved in the past that he can do it, even breaking into the England team at one point. The Aussie did have a fantastic season though and is itching for a crack at England’s top level.
Although he seems to have been around forever, Shelvey is actually a year-and-a-half younger than Mooy and still has plenty of improvement in him. Mooy is only 26 and also has more to give. As for last season’s Championship season though here is how the two midfielders compare stats-wise:
| Aaron Mooy | Jonjo Shelvey | |
| Tackles* | 2.4 | 1.0 |
| Interceptions* | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| Clearances* | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Blocks* | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Pass Completion Rate | 83% | 79% |
| Total Passess* | 69 | 52 |
| Key Passes* | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Minutes Per Goal ^ | 378 | 259 |
| Dispossessions* | 1.1 | 0.5 |
* average per game
^ scored or assisted
These stats are no surprise really, with Mooy showing up better in defensive areas and helping out his centre-backs while Shelvey has much more influence going forward. Mooy has a better pass completion rate but that is to be expected as he passes more often and much shorter, while Shelvey is not against attempting longer balls which have a lower success rate, but can open up defences out of nothing.
The stat that really jumps out here, given the step up in quality in the Premier League, is how often they give the ball away. Mooy loses possession more than twice as much as Shelvey and that’ll be the thing which would ultimately let him down if he fails to improve this.
Shelvey doesn’t ghost into attacking positions too often and prefers to do his work from deep, yet scores or assists more often than Mooy and very rarely gives the ball away in the final third – something that is the stamp of a Premier League player.
So I reckon Shelvey would be more impactful in the Premier League but as the old saying goes, this is football and anything can happen.