Jonjo Shelvey has been one of the longest-serving lieutenants in Newcastle United's current squad and is now backing himself to earn a new contract. The midfielder insists he's "not thick" with regards to his future and is well aware that he will have to perform at his very best in order to stay in the team after turning the ripe old age of 30.
Backed by Saudi funds, the Tyneside club are looking to climb up the ladder and establish themselves as title contenders in the near future under the stewardship of Eddie Howe.
Shelvey has been a mainstay in midfield for a number of years, but knows that he has to up the ante in order to keep his place as the club continues to recruit fresh talent.
What did Jonjo Shelvey say about his future at Newcastle United?
Shelvey has one year left on his current contract but is confident that he can trigger the extension that will keep him at St. James Park for an additional year.
"I’ve got three games to get another year, and hopefully I should do that this season. I mean, I’d be a bit worried if I didn’t!" he has said amid Newcastle's preparations for the 2022-23 campaign.
"At the end of the day you’re always playing for a new contract and I’m not thick, I’m not getting younger. I’m 30 years of age and I look about 40! You just want to be part of it. The only way for this club is up and a lot of people would want to be in my shoes."
The former England international is aware of Newcastle's lofty ambitions and is ready to fire on all cylinders to help the club reach greater heights.
"The positivity is great around the club," he added. "We went through a really bad spell. I’ve been here six-and-a-half years now, we know what the craic is around the city and what you can and can’t do. It’s a really good place to be at the minute, the city is buzzing. My missus and kids love it up here.”
What did Jonjo Shelvey say about Eddie Howe's impact at Newcastle?
GettyShelvey has also heaped praise upon Howe, who was drafted in to replace Steve Bruce in the dugout in November 2021. The playmaker says that Howe's passion for the game is infectious and has helped him become a better player.
"He’s constantly on you, reviewing your game, showing you clips," he said of the head coach. "He lives and breathes football and has instilled that into everyone at the club. It’s football, football, football.
"He’s helped me massively defensively. I think last year I was really, really good defensively and it’s not natural for me to have a defensive mind. But I feel I’ve developed a lot on that side of the game."
How are Newcastle United performing in pre-season?
Newcastle travelled to Austria for their pre-season tour, where they played 1860 Munich and Mainz respectively. They won convincingly against Munich 3-0 before losing narrowly to Mainz, however, Shelvey is not concerned with the loss and feels that they are improving with each passing day.
"I thought that was a better performance than in our first game in Austria," he said. "It is the end of a long week, the lads have done a lot of training. I was pleased with certain aspects. Obviously, we need to improve around their goal. Our creativity wasn’t quite there.
"When you watch pre-season games back, you have to have a very critical eye, but also acknowledge where the lads are at. The most important thing is that we’re ready for the first game, not this game today."
The Magpies will now fly to Portugal to play Benfica on July 26 before returning to England to host Atalanta and Athletic Club in their own backyard.