According to a recent report by the Express, West Ham United are hoping to come back with a fresh offer for Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey after the Magpies rejected their initial offer of £10m for the English talent. The same report has also revealed that Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has no intention of parting ways with his prized asset as the midfielder could help them avoid the drop at the end of this campaign.
This recent development will be concerning news for any Newcastle fan as they want their club’s owner Mike Ashley to splash the cash and not make money selling off their best players.
Shelvey has been a sporadic feature in Benitez’s first-team this season, but he can still be considered as one of their most creative players in midfield. The Magpies cannot afford to lose him during this ongoing transfer window.
The 26-year-old has made 12 appearances for the Tyneside outfit this term and has one assist to his name across all competitions. Shelvey’s dip in form during this campaign has been alarming, but Benitez should still keep him at St. James’ Park if he wants his side to avoid being dragged into a relegation dogfight this season.
Despite his lack of form this season, Shelvey has a knack for playing some neat passes from midfield and is also a major goal-threat from a distance. The English talent can hit the ball with a lot of power and has scored some spectacular goals during his career. But unfortunately for the Magpies, he has not produced the goods for them consistently since making a switch from Swansea City at the start of 2016.
Shelvey needs to step up and start performing on a regular basis if he wants to fulfil his real potential. Newcastle should not cash in on him as he still has the potential to be a match-winner on his day. Having said that, Benitez could use the money generated from his potential sale to strengthen other areas of his squad, that is, if Mike Ashley is willing to hand him the funds to rebuild his squad.
However, that is a risk that the Spanish head coach simply cannot take as he has often been left frustrated in the past few transfer windows mainly due to lack of investment from Ashley. Benitez should instead concentrate on keeping his current squad together and get the best out of them over the next few weeks in the English top-flight.
