Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey was not interested in hearing the words of Jamaal Lascelles after the central defender joined a live radio interview in 2018 – because he wanted to play Fortnite.
The former Liverpool man is set to join Nottingham Forest on Transfer Deadline Day in the first sale under the new ownership, the same club from which Lascelles was signed.
Four years later, Lascelles had captained the club and was asked to join BBC Radio Newcastle for a chat – which didn’t best please the impatient Shelvey.
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Shelvey found the right number and made it to air with his colleague, but wasn’t there to offer much support apart from a tongue-in-cheek compliment.
Lascelles’ calls of “get off this mate” were initially ignored, with Shelvey telling the-then 24-year-old that he sounded “so amazing” on the air before adding: “I’m waiting for you to play Fortnite with me lad.”
Shelvey, 30, is set to leave Newcastle after eight seasons at the club having fallen down the pecking order under Eddie Howe.
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(Image: BBC Radio Newcastle)
The six-capped England international played a key role in his early days at St James’ Park, most notably in their memorable Championship campaign in 2016/17.
Shelvey is said to have had a medical at Forest having made only three appearances in the Premier League so far this season and his contract coming to an end in the summer, with Steve Cooper open about the plan.
He said: “I won’t deny Jonjo is having a medical because I think you’ve all seen him so it would be wrong for me to do that. We’ve got to respect the process and if that process is completed, we’ll talk openly about that.”
(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Howe said: “Jonjo has been a huge player for this football club over the last seven years. He has been a very important part of my squad since I’ve been here. Unfortunately, he’s had injuries this season.
“Certainly, I would not want to lose him but, similar to Chris Wood, I have to understand the player’s wishes with his contract coming to an end this summer.
“You can keep players that want to leave, but you have to take every situation independently and try and judge what’s best for him and the club.”
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