Former Newcastle United stars Chris Wood and Jonjo Shelvey have both struggled to find their feet at Nottingham Forest since joining the club back in January.
The pair signed for the relegation-threatened side in the final days of the winter transfer market – Wood’s loan deal was soon made permanent after a certain clause in the deal was triggered – but familiar problems appear to be arising for the duo once again.
All has not gone to plan for Shelvey since making the move and the former England international has been heavily criticised for his performances by supporters with many taking to social media to voice their opinions. One even claimed that Newcastle were ‘single-handedly sending Forest down’ with the two signings.
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Abuse was particularly rife last weekend when the midfielder lazily gave the ball away in his own box and Bertrand Traore was able to capitalise on the mistake to put Aston Villa 1-0 up.
This was his eighth appearance for the club but he was yet to really make a significant impact in any game - zero goals and assists with an xG of just 0.2 and an xAG of 0.3.
Back in March, head coach Steve Cooper revealed he was ‘looking forward’ to working with a player of Shelvey’s quality and the ‘positive’ impact he can have on a relegation-threatened side.
“We’re looking forward with him, he’s settled in well. He’s probably a little bit feeling like all of us, really eager to get this whole thing together in terms of performances.," he said. “But he’s shown good commitment to how we want to be and I have no doubt that the contribution over the run in will be a positive one.”
Although his passing range is second to none, the Romford-born midfielder has always struggled with a lack of intensity and defensive awareness – far too many times is he caught not tracking back or losing his man and it may have influenced Howe’s decision to let him go.
Speaking on the Garibaldi Red Podcast, former Forest midfielder Lewis McGuan claimed that Cooper will struggle to transform the 30-year-old at this stage in his career.
“Jonjo is what Jonjo is. He will never change and he never has from when he made his debut. I’ve played against him and he will always put the ball at risk," he said. "At times he will look unbelievable, he will make a pass that nobody else sees and he will win you the game. But at times, he will give it away.”
Similarly, Wood has also struggled to find his feet, scoring just once in seven appearances but, perhaps more alarmingly, only managing three shots in that time. Wood’s issue at Newcastle was always his lack of end product and it seems he has continued that form at his new club.
Cooper described the signing as a ‘no-brainer’ back in January and even put him in the starting XI the day after his arrival was confirmed.
“For us, it was a no-brainer. We’re really pleased he’s got the first game out of the way. I know he’s experienced. We thought he’d just play a little bit of excitement and adrenaline. He’s really excited to be here - and we’re really excited to have him.”
But he is yet to see the best qualities of the forward and now, with an injury that will see him sidelined for the rest of the season, the Kiwi’s Premier League campaign looks to have come to a disappointing end.
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