Newcastle United Opinion – Benitez should keep hold of Jonjo Shelvey
According to a report in Northern Echo, West Ham United will re-ignite their interest in Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey in the summer, and they are confident that the Magpies would be persuaded to sell the Englishman.
The Hammers made an approach to sign the 27-year-old in the January window but the offer was rebuffed because of Rafa Benitez’s reluctance to let go of any of his senior players without getting a solid replacement (h/t Northern Echo).
Amidst all that, Manuel Pellegrini’s men still remain interested in Shelvey and would most probably make another bid for him in the summer. The West Ham boss sees him as a long-term partner for Declan Rice (h/t Northern Echo).
However, here’s why Newcastle should keep hold of the midfielder they signed for £12m:
Newcastle’s midfield can do with Shelvey in the squad
After a terrible start to the season, Newcastle
While Sean Longstaff, Isaac Hayden and Mohamed Diame have been the first-choice midfielders this season, Shelvey’s injury issues haven’t helped him to stake a claim in the team.
As a result, he has fallen down the pecking order. However, with Diame’s future in doubt and Hayden wanting to leave St.James’ Park in the summer, Newcastle could do with having an experienced player of Shelvey’s quality in their squad.
The 27-year-old is a prodigious player who is technically good on the ball, can create chances with accurate long balls and good set-pieces.
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Conclusion
Even though Jonjo Shelvey is currently down in the midfield pecking order, he has been a good servant to Newcastle since joining from Swansea City. He can still change the game for the team with influential play in the midfield. Therefore, letting him go would be a bad idea.