Jonjo Shelvey’s time at Newcastle United came to an end in 2023 after a seven-year spell with the north-east club.
Before he departed for Nottingham Forest, where he rarely featured, Shelvey made sure he would be remembered fondly on Tyneside, cementing his legacy with a vital free-kick goal against Leeds United in January of the 2021/22 campaign, captaining the team to safety.
That strike proved the winner at Elland Road and set Newcastle, then mired in relegation trouble, on the path to Premier League survival and subsequently Carabao Cup success, as well as Champions League participation, neither of which he has been a part of.
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Jonjo Shelvey winding career down in the United Arab Emirates
Jonjo Shelvey at Swansea City
It would be the last goal Shelvey scored in England’s top flight, a league he featured in for over a decade after initially breaking through at Charlton Athletic before being snapped up by Liverpool.
Since leaving Newcastle, Shelvey has represented no fewer than five clubs in just under three years: Nottingham Forest, Caykur Rizespor, Eyupspor, Burnley and presently Arabian Falcons.
Jonjo Shelvey alongside recently-departed Newcastle minority shareholder Mehrdad Ghodoussi
The 33-year-old midfielder has revealed in a new interview with BBC Sport that there is a misconception regarding players heading to the Middle East for huge paydays, as that often isn’t the case, according to the former England international.
“I’ve since seen a few things like ‘he’s gone there for money’. I’m thinking ‘what money? There’s no money in the UAE Second Division League’.
Arabian Falcons are based in Dubai and were founded in 2023, winning promotion from the fourth tier last season.
The club, formerly sponsored by Nando’s, landed Shelvey’s signature in September 2025 and play at the Jebel Ali Shooting Club, a recreational gun range situated in the Emirati city.
🇦🇪 Jonjo Shelvey made his first start for UAE third-tier side Arabian Falcons. He captained his side to a 1-0 win but also missed this penalty. A moment he will want to forget #nufc #nffc pic.twitter.com/pImniN6JteOctober 5, 2025
“The ballpark of the standard wage here is £2,000-a-month for a footballer,” Shelvey added, dispelling the belief that all players move to Dubai for untold riches. “In terms of what I’ve earned throughout my career, that’s nothing.
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“My brother earns more working in a hotel in London, so it was never about coming here for the money.”
Shelvey has decided he does not want to raise his young family in the UK any longer and views the move to Dubai as a ‘fresh start’.
Jonjo Shelvey during Newcastle’s Championship-winning 2016/17 campaign
“I’m happy and content. I’m just at the stage now where I want to enjoy football. It’s about waking up, enjoying what I do and spending time with my family.”
Shelvey works under childhood friend and Arabian Falcons head coach Harry Agombar at the third tier UAE club, whilst doing his coaching badges with a view to transitioning to that side of the game once he hangs up his boots.
“When you get older, every time you go on the training pitch, you think, ‘is this going to be my last session?'” Shelvey admits. “If I got a bad injury now, I would probably call it a day.”
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