Michael Laudrup’s summer spending spree continued to pick up pace earlier this week with the acquisition of Jonjo Shelvey from Liverpool for a fee around £5m. The 21-year-old rolls up to the Liberty on a four-year contract and is the fifth player to be snapped up by the Swansea boss over the last few weeks, following the arrival of Jordi Amat, Jose Canas and Alejandro Pozuelo, in addition to Jonathan de Guzman’s return on a further season-long loan deal:
Speaking to the Swans official website upon completion of the deal, Shelvey admitted the club’s style of play, allied with the opportunity of increased game time, were fundamental to his decision to move to the Welsh outfit:
“Leaving a club like Liverpool is a very hard decision to make, but coming to Swansea, who play similar football which Brendan (Rodgers) and managers before him installed here, is an attraction. Brendan said he wouldn’t let me go to a club that wasn’t right for me. He said Swansea are perfect for me with the way I play. Rather than sit on the bench every week at Liverpool, I need to come and play football and get myself to the status that I once had. Moving here will help me in terms of the way the manager wants to play. Obviously having worked under Brendan that will stand me in good stead.”
The History
A product of the Arsenal and West Ham youth academies, Shelvey was picked up by Charlton as a youngster back in 2007. Having scored 14 times in 23 appearances for the Under 18s in 2007/08, he was promoted to the senior side the following year and, after becoming the club’s youngest ever first-team player, went on to produce seven goals and five assists from 42 games in the Championship.
Signed by Liverpool in May 2010, Shelvey managed just a single assist from 15 appearances in his debut campaign on Merseyside. Farmed out to Championship side Blackpool the following year, the midfielder made an immediate impact, producing six goals and three assists in just 10 matches before he was recalled to Merseyside as a result of injuries to the likes of Lucas and Steven Gerrard. Back at Anfield, he again failed to produce the goods – notching just once in 13 matches over the remainder of the season.
In Brendan Rodgers’ first term in charge, Shelvey made nine starts and 10 appearances off the bench but was unable to make any real impression, mustering a single strike in the league last time round. Ironically, he was far more prolific in the Europa League for the Reds last season, notching four times in nine matches. On the international stage, Shelvey has represented England at every level from Under 16 to Under 21, scoring 10 times in 29 appearances, and has also turned out for the senior side once, climbing off the bench to feature against San Marino in October last year.
The Prospects
In the main, Shelvey’s move to Swansea has been greeted with a large degree of scepticism, though reports indicate Michael Laudrup was keen to push the move through.
Although Shelvey is versatile enough to play in a deeper, central position in addition to the role in “the hole”, there’s no doubt he has real competition to nail down a regular spot under Laudrup. The likes of Leon Britton, Ki Sung-Yeung, de Guzman and Canas could vie for the “double pivot” positions in Laudrup’s preferred 4-2-3-1, while Pozuelo, de Guzman, Pablo Hernandez and Wayne Routledge all offer alternatives to Michu as the most advanced midfielder behind a lone forward.
There’s an argument that Shelvey’s more physical approach may help his game time if the Swans boss is looking for a little extra steel in front of the back-four, though from a Fantasy perspective, such a scenario hardly boosts his appeal. Further up the field, he’s only likely to get a chance if Michu is either rested or pushed into a forward role, though with the Welsh club linked with moves for Bafetimbi Gomis or Wilfried Bony, the Spaniard may see less time up front next time round.
With Laudrup keen to strengthen his squad as Swansea prepare for the defence of the Capital One Cup and Europa League duties, rest and rotation could well blight the vast majority of their squad. While Shelvey seems optimistic that the move will boost his minutes, it’s difficult to see how he will go about cementing a regular role. Although he’s likely to come in as a mid-price midfield option across the Fantasy games, then, (around 5.5 to 6.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is anticipated) it may take injuries and suspension to others to boost his prospects as a regular for the season ahead. With United, Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal in the first six Gameweeks, even Michu may struggle to persuade early investors to jump on board – Fantasy managers will likely start the season steering well clear of Shelvey, only reassessing the situation if Laudrup decides he deserves more than just bench-warming duties.
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