Although Bruno Guimaraes signed a new contract with Newcastle United last week, speculation over his departure has continued to grow.
It was’mad,’ according to Jonjo Shelvey, to play against Newcastle United with Nottingham Forest last year.
Shelvey faced the Magpies back in March for the first time following his mid-season transfer to Forest from the club after seven years on Tyneside. Shelvey may have reconnected with some of his former teammates before the game outside the locker room, but there was no love lost once the game started on a night when the midfielder committed more fouls than any other Forest player.
Shelvey jokingly referred to the people he used to share a dressing room with as “whingebags” after the game, saying that he “didn’t think they would whinge as much as they did on the pitch.” So, how did that encounter actually go?
To be honest, he told ChronicleLive, “It was a little crazy.” It seemed a little strange, but it was fun to play against your friends and the crowd when I looked across during warm-up because I had done it so frequently.
Shelvey joked after the game, dubbing people he used to share a changing room with, “whingebags,” since he “didn’t think they would whinge as much as they did on the pitch.” So what was that experience truly like?
I wasn’t thrilled with the outcome because I had a better season previous year, but it was still a pleasant experience that I doubt will ever happen again.
One of Shelvey’s longest-tenured teammates at the club, Matt Ritchie, who was in the midfielder’s ear every day throughout their time together, was among those who played that night.
Sandro Tonali’s phone was seized by authorities as part of the ongoing gambling probe, although according to Sky Italy, there is currently “no evidence” that he was involved in sports fraud.
Up to 40 players may have been involved when Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo, another member of his international team, were both accused of placing bets on football and questioned by police last Thursday.
The two acknowledged that they had been playing both poker and blackjack while claiming ignorance of the law. Sky Italia claims that the available evidence does not support their claim that they had placed a football wager. They continue, saying it’s “likely” that no evidence is discovered, implying that our £55 million man might not be subject to a protracted ban.
