I’ve had no issues with Ashley, but a takeover would be good for city

MIDFIELDER REVEALS HIS THOUGHTS ON PROSPECT OF DEAL FOR NEWCASTLE

JONJO Shelvey says he thinks a takeover would be “good for Newcastle United” and the city but admits he’s in the dark on where the deal is.

The Newcastle midfielder was speaking to the Beautiful Game podcast for their latest video chat and it was a wide-ranging conversation about his career and time at Newcastle. And the hosts asked about both the takeover deal and the #cans hashtag that has cropped up around the deal.

Shelvey – who says Mike Ashley has “always been good to me” and the other players – admits that he’s peering in on the unfolding situation.

Would-be buyers, led by

Amanda Staveley with majority backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, are hoping to receive notification that they have passed the owners’ and directors’ tests and had been looking to tie up the deal this week.

Shelvey said: “We’re the same as the fans. We don’t know what’s going on. I read the internet or Sky Sports to see if there’s a latest update. We don’t get told anything.

If it happens, it happens. To be honest, the club has been in this situation on numerous occasions. That club pays your wages so for me it doesn’t matter who is in charge or whatever, you just go in and do your job every day.

“For the fans they want a change of ownership and if it happens it’d be good for the fans, the club and probably the city. But, like I say, I’m literally looking every day to see what’s happened. You do see this hashtag #cans everywhere!

“Our group chat is not one to go off. It’s very mellow, to be fair. We don’t know, we find out when the fans find out. It’s a shame that a lot of the staff have been furloughed. We made a donation to the charities and got together with players at the other clubs.”

On Ashley, he told the podcast:

“Mike’s always been good to me. He obviously sanctioned the deal to bring me to the club and every time I’ve met him he’s been sound as anything. I can’t really say a bad word about him.

“I know the fans obviously don’t want him here but at the end of the day he’s been absolutely fine for me and I speak on behalf of the