‘Way better than I thought’… Jermaine Jenas says £6m Bobby Robson signing stunned him at Newcastle

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Jermaine Jenas spent three years at Newcastle United, where he established himself as one of England’s most promising players.

Joining in 2002, the midfielder was the second most expensive teenager in British football at the time.

Jermaine Jenas was brought to Newcastle United by legendary manager Sir Bobby Robson, who immediately took the youngster under his wing on Tyneside. Jenas shared the dressing room with Newcastle legends like Alan Shearer and Shay Given, who have all gone on to be idolised by the fans.

While he ended up at Newcastle, Jenas wanted to join Leeds United before moving to the North East. The move ended up being the right one, as Leeds suffered serious financial turmoil just two years after Jenas signed for Newcastle.

His time at the Magpies came to an end in 2005, but Shearer’s attitude in Newcastle’s dressing room stuck with Jenas. That was not the only thing that stuck with Jenas from his three years at Newcastle. In a recent interview, the 42-year-old shared a hilarious story involving one of his former Newcastle teammates.

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Jermaine Jenas on Craig Bellamy at Newcastle United

Like Jenas, Craig Bellamy joined Newcastle as a youngster under Robson. The former Barcelona and Ipswich Town boss was known for giving young players a chance on Tyneside, and they were just two of many players who played under his tutelage.

Bellamy came to Newcastle for £6m with a point to prove. The Welshman had just been relegated from the Premier League with Coventry and was keen to prove his doubters wrong elsewhere.

His time at Newcastle was successful. Bellamy helped the Magpies qualify for the Champions League and performed well alongside Shearer.

In an interview with FilthyFellas, Jenas was asked who the best player he played with was.

“As a name, obviously, Shearer was a top dog,” he said.

“I had him at the end of his career, and I had never seen anything like it.

“The ones that impressed me most, I’d say Bellamy. Bellamy was way better than I thought he was, and obsessed with football.

“I lived next door to him. We’d play a game on the Saturday, I had all my boys waiting for me after a game. Win the game, I’m thinking I’m going out in Newcastle. I’d literally be about to go out the door, and there would be Bellamy. I’d open the door and he’d come flying in ‘What about him today’.

“I’m like ‘what?’ (he was) still angry! and he’d spend an hour sat on the sofa just killing the whole team. ‘He’s not good enough, he’s not good enough’ and I’m like ‘Bellars I’m going out’.

“Dyer, the injuries killed him, but Kieron was next level.”

Craig Bellamy backs Newcastle United in Champions League race

With three games left in the Premier League season, Newcastle are still in the race for Champions League qualification. The Magpies currently sit fourth in the Premier League table and can move even further away from sixth spot with a win over Chelsea at St James’ Park on Sunday.

With the race for the top five reaching its peak, Bellamy believes Newcastle will qualify for the Champions League alongside Manchester City and Aston Villa.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	35	25	7	3	81	35	46	82
2	ArsenalArsenal	35	18	13	4	64	31	33	67
3	Man CityManchester City	35	19	7	9	67	43	24	64
4	NewcastleNewcastle	35	19	6	10	66	45	21	63
5	ChelseaChelsea	35	18	9	8	62	41	21	63
6	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	35	18	7	10	54	42	12	61
7	Aston VillaAston Villa	35	17	9	9	55	49	6	60

Pep Guardiola’s Man City side now look set for the top five after a run of good results, while Villa still have a lot of work to do as they currently sit seventh in the Premier League table.

Bellamy also praised Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes for his abilities. The Wales head coach even went as far to say he believes Guimaraes will win the Premier League one day.