Who is Newcastle’s top earner and is he worth it?

We all know that when it comes to splashing the cash, Magpies owner Mike Ashley is hardly Roman Abramovich.

There is no chance of Ashley paying the astronomical wages that Manchester United pay Alexis Sanchez (£315,000 per week) or Manchester City pay Kevin de Bruyne (£280,000 per week).

However, until Newcastle start pulling away from the lower half of the table, it is hard justifying paying top whack.

However, the Premier League is a tough beast and you have to pay top wages to get the best and move further up the table and away from relegation.

It is clear that is not going to happen at Newcastle anytime soon so is who is the Magpies highest earner? and is he worth it?

On £70,000 a week, 26-year-old midfielder Jonjo Shelvey leads the Magpies' money list according to data provided by betfc.co.uk which will surprise only a few.

The former Swansea City player capped by England six times has struggled with his disciplinary record over the last few years which has no doubt impacted his national team appearances but when Shelvey is on it, he is undoubtedly Newcastle’s main man for creativity.

Five appearances so far in the 2018/19 season has yielded no goals but one assist although the lack of goals is a problem.

To date, Shelvey’s best goal return in a season is six during the 2013/14 campaign when playing for Swansea City but due to injuries and suspensions the Romford born midfielder is yet to play more than 32 Premier league games in a season.

That brings into question Shelvey’s wage as the highest paid player at the club but in 2018/19 Jonjo looks to be a man matured and ready to take Newcastle’s plight by the scruff of the neck and guide them out of the mire.

Early Career

After shining for Charlton Athletic from a young age, Shelvey earned a dream move to Liverpool in the summer of 2010 before spending a season on loan at Blackpool for a period of the 2011/12 season.

Despite showing signs of his supreme talent, it took a move to Swansea City in the summer of 2013 to unlock the undeniable potential that Shelvey possesses that earned him a move to Newcastle in January 2016.

On his debut, Shelvey put in a man of the match performance against West Ham in a 2-1 victory and was later made captain of the club as Fabricio Coloccini was ruled out injured for a period of time with a calf strain.

It has been a topsy turvy ride so far for Shelvey but of all the players in the Newcastle squad, Jonjo is the one player with that undeniable star quality.

Able to pin-point a vital pass, create an assist or marshal the midfield and push on up the pitch, there is nobody else who quite creates the excitement that Shelvey does which when compared to other Premier League players at other clubs makes his £70,000 look something of a bargain.

That equates to 12p per minute, £6.94 per minute, £10,000 per day and £280,000 per month but when it comes to football’s astronomical wages these days, that is relatively cheap.