OPINION
One club’s misfortune can be another’s springboard to success and West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini must offer Jonjo Shelvey an escape route from his Newcastle hell.
Newcastle are rock-bottom of the Premier League after a disappointing 1-0 defeat at St James’ Park yesterday.
Shelvey was the standout performer for Newcastle, as he has been so often throughout his almost three-year career with the club after his £14.4million move from Swansea.
He’s closing in on 100 appearances for Newcastle, and has scored seven goals and registered 19 assists.
He left Swansea after closing in on 100 appearances for them and Shelvey needs to move again if he wants to get back in the England set-up.
He’s won six caps for the senior squad already and was talked about for the summer World Cup squad but missed out.
That’s partly because of his struggles at Newcastle. Shelvey is one of the best passers in the British game and would bring a different dimension to a West Ham team, packed with quality but struggling for consistency.
It might be tricky to persuade Benitez to part with him but he has had issues with the temperamental player and the right offer will always get the attention of owner Mike Ashley, who’s more concerned with his bottom line than the state of Benitez’s team.
He might not compare to the marquee signings West Ham have made over the summer but he could be the one that sees the Hammers flying up the table and challenging for the European spots.
He’s exactly the player they need right now.