Jonjo Shelvey now playing in UAE league with average wage of £2,000 a month

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Jonjo Shelvey was playing in the Premier League as recently as 2023, but the ex-Liverpool midfielder is now in the third tier of football in the United Arab Emirates. Speaking to BBC Sport, Shelvey refuted suggestions he had “gone there for money” and revealed that the average wage in their league was £2,000 a month.

There’s no money in the UAE Second Division League’,” he said. “My brother earns more working in a hotel in London, so it was never about coming here for the money.” Shelvey did not explicitly state his salary and is likely to be among the league’s highest earners, but it is a clear drop-off from his time in the Premier League.

Liverpool wanted “British players with passion” Shelvey was one of Rafa Benitez’s final signings as Liverpool manager, during a time when he was targeting “British players with passion.” “We tried to sign Gareth Barry and did the same with Glen Johnson,” Benitez said at the time, per Sky Sports. “We want them to know what it means to play for Liverpool Football Club.