Who is Jonjo Shelvey?

One move that has flown under the radar this offseason for many Liverpool fans was the £1.7 million signing of Jonjo Shelvey from Charlton Athletic in April. This was a bit of a surprise with Rafa Benitez’s transfer history as he seemed distrusting of young players. Liverpool has not graduated many players from the academy under his watch and to sign a legitimately talented youngster instead of squad filler is pleasing. I am ecstatic about this deviation from Rafa’s normal philosophy and I believe this will turn out to be a very positive move.

In April of 2008, 16 year old Jonjo Shelvey took the field to become Charlton’s youngest player to make a first team appearance at the age of 16 years and 59 days. The next January, he became the youngest goal scorer for the club. At the same time, Shelvey has been climbing the ranks of the English National team system. He captained the U16 team when they won the Victory Shield and is now regarded as one of the top talents of this generation.

The first thing you notice about Jonjo is that he is completely bald. I have seen much confusion over this, but no, it is not a fashion statement. He has suffered from alopecia since he was very young. You’ll also immediately recognize similarities in play style between Jonjo and Steven Gerrard. This is no coincidence.

'I've mirrored my game on Steven Gerrard - I love him to bits, everything about him, from the way he walks to the way he plays,' says Shelvey. 'I want to have played with him and against him by the time I've finished my career. That's my dream.'

For his age, Jonjo has excellent composure. He does not panic when pressured and can find the open man. While he may lack the pace of an ideal box to box midfielder, he makes up for hit with physicality. At 6 foot, he has the strength to hold off a challenge as well as make them himself. All signs point towards Jonjo Shelvey being a future star and I’m very excited to see it happen in a Liverpool shirt.

Here is a video put together of Jonjo vs Brentford last season. Yes it is just League 1, but I love how he is always directing the play and making himself available for a pass.