Goodbye Jonjo

Goodbye Jonjo, you shall be missed. Everyone that knows me is aware that Jonjo Shelvey is one of my footballing icons. In fact, he's one of my heroes. I took a liking to Jonjo when he progressed through  the ranks at my favourite club, Charlton Athletic, making his debut and excelling in a midfield role from the age of 16. Although he made a £1.8 million move 2 years later to another of my favoured clubs, Liverpool, I believed this was the chance he needed to fulfil his potential and become a world class player. He had all the tools, he had all the belief, he just needed to express his talent on the football pitch in one of the best leagues in the world.

Brendan Rodgers (left) had high hopes for Shelvey, but sadly
he never delivered

But sadly it didn't go according to plan for Jonjo. A highly successful loan spell to Blackpool clustered in between a frustrating stay at Liverpool eventually meant that he was shown the door. The problem is, Shelvey hasn't improved since he made his debut at the tender age of 16. Technically he is at the same level as he was as a teenager and although his remarkable confidence he exerts has shown during his development, he has looked overawed at times in a Liverpool shirt. Dubbed the 'New Gerrard' on arrival as well as being described to possess 'all the tools' by manager Brendan Rodgers at the start of last season, this still did not work in the tenacious midfielder's favour as he was cast aside and eventually let go by Liverpool.

However there was a time earlier this year when I thought he could push on and make a breakthrough. His early season form was superb, excelling in a midfield role both in the league and in Europe where he scored 4 goals, including a 2 goal substitute cameo against Young Boys. This meant that the Romford born midfielder was rewarded with a call up to the national squad, making his debut against San Marino after coming on as a sub. However his rise to prominence was short lived and after he was controversially sent off against Manchester United, the all action midfielders form took a turn for the worse and it all went downhill from there. Small injuries contributed to him being in and out of the team, which destroyed any consistency and confidence he had left. This was highlighted as he evidently struggled in the latter stages of the season; only starting 3 games amongst a number of cameo appearances.

But the most frustrating thing about Shelvey is his demeanour on the pitch suggests a poor attitude. Although he played in numerous under 21 games (where he impressed) to retain form and fitness, he seemed lazy on the pitch, seemingly reluctant to get back to defend or work for his team off the ball. To compound this, his style of play expresses a lack of concentration and seemed lethargic, emphasised by numerous losses of the ball and poor form in front of goal; whereby he squandered 7 of his 8 clear cut chances this season.

This earned him many critics in Liverpool, and general consensus seems to point to the majority of fans agreeing that his exit was warranted. But this is not a view shared by me. A loan move would have been more beneficial, and in failing that a sell with an option to buy back at a later date is also a sensible option. Shelvey has raw talent. You'd be stupid to think he doesn't possess it. You can see from his wide range of passing that he is blessed with talent, and coupled with his strong, aggressive physique makes him a very good midfielder. Although he was very poor in front of goal this season, his inability to just stick the ball in the back of the net is what I think put the nail in the coffin for him, and with better fortune in front of goal he probably wouldn't have been sold.

Swansea unveil the 21 year old playmaker

At £5million, potentially rising to £6million, Shelvey could turn out to be a steal. He could not force his way into an ambitious Liverpool side and thus paid the price, despite still being only 21 years of age. But opportunities would be plentiful at the South Wales club, and it may be time that Shelvey finally expresses himself and shows just how much talent he has. He has already showed his capabilities in midfield for Swansea in pre season, effortlessly spraying the ball around the park in their 10-0 win against Haaglandia (yes, I know the opposition wasn't that good) as well as scoring twice including in their most recent 3-0 win against Reading with a typical driving run and finish. Tipped to be at a world beater at 16, 5 years on and he hasn't progressed the way the footballing world imagined. But Swansea is a club that seems to get the best out of players, and they may prove to be the perfect destination for Shelvey to fulfil his potential and grow into the world class player he was expected to be.

Good luck Jonjo, I wish you all the best at Swansea and for the rest of your career.