Scott Parker on the impact new signing Jonjo Shelvey will have

Burnley Express

Scott Parker spoke to the media about new signing Jonjo Shelvey after the midfielder signed a short term contract to the end of the season.

Transcript

00:00It suits both parties at this present moment in time. From my side, obviously,

00:05Jonjoe coming in last week, training with us, instantly see his quality, a guy

00:13that's had many years in and around it, still what, 32, so he's not

00:19at the right end, or he's not at the back end of where he is, he's still got

00:23plenty left in him. Went off to Turkey and he's come back and I think

00:28we've seen, or certainly I've seen in three or four training sessions and

00:32what I know of him and watching from him from afar, the quality he possesses

00:36and I think he helps us. I think he probably brings a little bit of

00:39something different to maybe what we've got in them positions. He brings

00:42experience and something to prove as well, coming back into England.

00:48So I'm delighted to have Jonjoe with us now and obviously he needs some

00:53training now, get him up to speed and, you know, hopefully he can have a

00:58big impact on the current squad, really. January is always difficult as

01:02well because January, I reckon 85-90% of players, what you're attracting

01:08or what you're getting in, what one club's getting in in January is a player

01:11that's probably not had a lot of football, not been in and around first team

01:14football, hence why they're leaving their current club. So you have to

01:17take that into your reasoning. Jonjoe's come out of Turkey where he

01:24was three, four weeks ago, probably not had a lot of game time, but

01:28I've seen enough in terms of that to help us. And like I said, our

01:32current picture in there, in that position, is we are a little bit

01:36like Massengo leaving on loan. Just bulks us up a little bit to

01:42maybe help us a little bit. I think on the pitch, there's an X

01:47amount of games underneath Jonjoe. He knows exactly, he knows his way

01:50around a football pitch and he knows his way around promotion teams

01:54or teams that want to be operating in the top end of the league.

01:58So, you know, I see him bringing huge qualities on the pitch for us.

02:01Like I said, offering something probably a little bit different to what

02:04we have. And then obviously off it, it goes without saying, a young

02:07squad that are going to need senior players who have been around it

02:10to support and help get us through these next 20-odd games.

02:15It came about via some people who obviously suggested that maybe

02:20it could be an option. I like the idea. Full credit to Jonjoe.

02:25I asked if he could come in and train with us and there's probably a lot

02:28of players that would have, well, I've had many a player in my time,

02:32turn down that opportunity to come in and train for many reasons.

02:36Jonjoe was the first to say, of course I will, if you need to see me,

02:38I understand that. He's done that. Hence why now he's signed and

02:43he's part of our group. And then like I said, I still see that Jonjoe's

02:46got a lot left in him. So this is a massive opportunity for him

02:49now, an opportunity for him back in England, back at a good football club,

02:54hopefully operating around it at the top end. I think it's a massive

02:57platform for Jonjoe as well, really.

02:59I assumed you faced Jonjoe during your playing career.

03:02What sort of challenges did he give you?

03:04I think that was one of my first conversations with him, to be fair.

03:07So, yeah, I think we had our battles with him.

03:10He's certainly a guy that wants to win and will do certain things to win,

03:15really, as well as his quality as well.

03:19So, yeah, I think we played against each other a couple of times,

03:22but again, I'm looking forward to working with him.

03:25I think it's a short-term deal.

03:27It impresses and then maybe a longer term,

03:30once you revisit in the summer.

03:31Definitely, yeah. I think at this present moment in time, it's a short-term

03:35for Jonjoe as well and for us, really.

03:37So I think the main focus is now,

03:39four months or however many months we've got to the end of the season.

03:42And as always now, let's work as hard as we can.

03:45Let's impress as much as we can on both sides. Our side is a football club

03:48to Jonjoe as well, as well as Jonjoe to us.

03:51And we'll revisit this in the summer.

03:53But I think before we speak about that,

03:55there's a job to be done here first for Jonjoe,

03:57which he's fully engaged with and helping us.

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