Jonjo Shelvey has struggled to make a solid impression at Anfield, since joining the club from Charlton. The Liverpool midfielder left the Addicks for £1.7million in 2010, where he was tipped to be a possible replacement for Steven Gerrard in the future. However, those suggestions have now dropped dramatically, as the England Under-21 midfielder has struggled to adapt to the challenging level of top Premier League football.
Shelvey was initially loaned out to Blackpool at the start of the 2011-12 season, where he scored six goals in just 10 matches. But injuries to Steven Gerrard and Lucas meant that Shelvey was recalled back to Anfield, where he has fought for a starting place ever since. In July last summer, he was rewarded with a new long-term contract at Anfield, suggesting Brendan Rodgers sees the 21-year-old as a big part of Liverpool’s future.
However, in the present, Shelvey hasn’t shown much to excite Reds fans. The former Charlton boy started nine games, and came off the bench in a further 10 matches in the league this season. However, he scored just one goal from his 27 shots, and didn’t assist a teammate. He also picked up his first career red card this season, getting sent off in Liverpool’s home match against Manchester United, who went on to beat the Reds 2-1.
Shelvey has, however, impressed in the Europa League. The London-born midfielder has scored four goals from his seven tournament appearances this season, including a brace away to BSC Young Boys, despite only playing 23 minutes. This helped earn him a call up to the senior England team, where he came on in England’s 5-0 victory over San Marino in October.
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His strong European performances and his potential have caught the eye of Norwich City and the Daily Mail are reporting that the Canaries are preparing a bid for the Liverpool youngster. With the Reds looking for any bids to start from £5million, and rise to £8million, should Brendan Rodgers cash in on the youngster now?
£8million will cover the impending transfer of Iago Aspas from Celta Vigo. The 25-year-old is expected to officially sign for the Reds in the next few days, for a transfer fee of £7.7million. Aspas scored 12 goals for the Spanish side last season, in the club’s first year since getting promoted from Liga Adelante. With reports that Rodgers will be given £20million to spend in the summer, and whatever he makes from sales of current players, selling Shelvey to Norwich would allow the Northern Irish manager to still spend £20million on further players, completely covering the transfer of Aspas to Anfield.
With rumours of Rodgers looking at Christian Eriksen and Kyriakos Papadopoulos, he will need to sell some players to open some funds up for transfers. The sale of Luis Suarez, who is expected to go for a minimum of £40million if the Reds decide to let him go, would allow for Rodgers to sign some big names in the summer. But if the 40-year-old keeps Suarez, he will need to look at selling some of his fringe players to release some funds, and Shelvey could be one of them.
£8million would be a decent amount for a player who has struggled in the Premier League this season. Shelvey shows great potential, and maybe a move to a club with less pressure on him would improve his performances. With high expectations at Anfield, Shelvey may have struggled to impress regularly due to the pressure put on him by fans and the media, but a move to Norwich would certainly allow the youngster some breathing space.
But at only 21-years of age, Shelvey still has time to improve. Maybe a loan move to a Premier League club would allow the midfielder to progress more, allowing him to play regular first team football and to give him a chance to fight for a place at Liverpool the season after. His loan spell at Blackpool, whilst short, showed Shelvey is definitely a Premier League player. Perhaps a loan spell with Norwich, or a similar club, would allow Shelvey to improve more than he would from his substitute appearances with Liverpool.
This would then give Reds fans, and Brendan Rodgers, a chance to see how Shelvey does week in week out in the Premier League, and if his potential really can be reached, or if he isn’t cut out to play for a club with aims as high as Liverpool’s. The loan club would obviously benefit from the season with Jonjo, who started in England’s defeat to Italy in the European Under-21 Championship in Israel.
But it doesn’t solve Liverpool’s financial needs. Rodgers would then have to keep looking at his squad for players to sell, or have to suddenly change his summer spending plans instead. The imminent sale of Andy Carroll will free up some money for Rodgers, while Stewart Downing has also been linked with a move away, and is someone the club wouldn’t necessarily miss, with Sturridge, Sterling, Borini and Suso all able to play on the wing. Rodgers would need those sales to go through to help fund his transfer wishes this summer.
It’s a difficult choice for Brendan Rodgers. If he truly believes that Shelvey has the ability and potential to play every match for Liverpool, and could be a suitable replacement for Steven Gerrard in a few years, then a loan spell may be the best option for for Reds in the long term. However, the Reds are setting their sights on Europe, whether that is 4th place or 5th. To do that, Rodgers will need to bring in some top class players who are starting to hit their prime, and can’t rely on footballers who have great potential, but are struggling to show it.
Rodgers needs to strengthen his squad, covering for the gap Carragher has now left and adding muscle to Liverpool’s bench. To do this properly, he will need to sell players he can afford to lose. Players such as Eriksen and Papadopoulos won’t come cheap, and if Liverpool are serious about becoming a top team again, they need these sorts of players. If Rodgers doesn’t believe that Shelvey will be the next big thing at Liverpool, then his plans could desperately do with the £8million they would get from Norwich.
As much as you want to see Shelvey given time and a chance to prove himself, right now Liverpool need to bring in quality players who are approaching their best, if they are to hit the top five next season. If it’s a straight fight between Downing and Shelvey, then expect the central midfielder to stay. But if Rodgers feels he could do with the money from both of them, then there could be some new, top quality faces at Anfield next season.
But what do you think? Should Rodgers keep Shelvey? Or should they take the money now?
Join the debate below.
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