Eddie Howe has sold many players since becoming Newcastle United manager in 2021.
At times, the 47-year-old has been ruthless in his methods of narrowing the squad down. On occasion, Howe has sent players to train with the under-21s in a clear sign that they had no future at the club.
Isaac Hayden played with Newcastle’s under-21s before he was sent out on loan to Portsmouth – Howe used the same solution on Ryan Fraser, who left the Magpies for Southampton at the end of the 2024 summer transfer window.
For other players, they have been subject to several loan stints before eventually being released by Newcastle. Jeff Hendrick met that fate as he was loaned to several lower-end Championship sides before finally being released by the Magpies last season. Hendrick spent several months without a club before finally returning to Derby County, who he began his career with over a decade ago.
For former Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle, it was a rather amicable end to life on Tyneside. The striker still made appearances after Howe was appointed manager in 2021, albeit brief stints off the bench. Gayle left Newcastle for Stoke in 2022 and has bounced between clubs since then.
Another former Newcastle star had the same fate as Gayle, but the 35-year-old believed that very few understood him during his time on Tyneside.
Dwight Gayle opens up on Jonjo Shelvey’s Newcastle United career
Jonjo Shelvey will go down as a cult hero at Newcastle thanks to his impressive performances for the club between 2016 and 2023.
The midfielder joined the club under Steve McClaren and decided to stay with the Magpies under Rafa Benitez during their season in the Championship. His impressive performances and leadership qualities meant that he was handed the captain’s armband throughout Benitez’s reign.
Sadly, he was not able to continue the same performances under Steve Bruce, despite being a fan of his training and man-management style. Newcastle fans would frequently get on Shelvey’s back about performances, with many taking to social media to brand him as ‘lazy’.
In an interview with Open Goal, Gayle was quick to jump to Shelvey’s defence about his attitude and efforts in games.
“I see Jonjo, I think he’s perceived that way that he’s a bad professional, or he doesn’t concentrate, but he would be locked in,” Gayle said.
“He’s very professional, he likes his golf and he likes a beer and stuff, but then he’d always be doing extras at home. He’s got his gym at home. He was always working to be fair, he was an unbelievable player.
Gayle was then asked about times when Shelvey would use his high wages as a comeback to end arguments with players and opponents, to which he said: “Obviously, growing up he would have had a lot of grief,” he said.
“I think it was more of a defence mechanism where he’s just trying to go as strong as he can, so the person just completely stops the argument.
“Most of the time, someone will say something to him, and that’s his comeback. Not in training, just whenever we played teams. Especially when we were playing in the Championship, that was his go-to. If someone started giving it to him, he would just say that and it would end the conversation.”
Jonjo Shelvey’s bizarre career after leaving Newcastle United
Even though he has not played for the club in over two years, Shelvey still loves Newcastle, confirming his family still lives on Tyneside.
Howe was annoyed at Shelvey for leaving Newcastle, claiming that he had left them in the lurch by asking for a move so late in the 2023 January transfer window.
The midfielder only lasted a few months at Nottingham Forest before joining Turkish side Caykur Rizespor. A year later, he would move to fellow Turkish Super League side Eyupspor but was released in January 2025.
- READ MORE – What Jonjo Shelvey said about Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United training in 2020 after Dwight Gayle’s criticism
Shelvey returned to England that same month, signing for former Newcastle star Scott Parker’s Burnley. Now 33, Shelvey is entering the twilight of his career, but could return to the Premier League after two years away if the Clarets go up.
The former England international plays alongside Newcastle target James Trafford at Burnley. Fans will be hoping that the former Toon man will be telling him all about life on Tyneside ahead of the summer transfer window.
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