Jonjo Shelvey shares what he 'didn't realise' about Nottingham Forest until he actually signed

Jonjo Shelvey will not live in the memory of Nottingham Forest fans for too long.

Shelvey played eight times for the Reds and managed to just about alienate everybody around him, including his head coach, Steve Cooper.

Shelvey fell out with Cooper during his time at the City Ground. A mistake in a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa saw the midfielder banished from the first team and the chapter of him playing for Forest drew to a close.

Now, in the years after his departure from Forest, Shelvey has lifted the lid on his time at the football club, conceding that something really surprised him about his time with the Reds.

Shelvey only made eight appearances for Forest, and after months of inactivity at Newcastle, it came as little surprise. The midfielder signed at the same time as Chris Wood, but Shelvey never really convinced the fan base.

It’s a shame it never worked out for Shelvey, given that on his day he’s proved himself a top player. He’s spent time at Liverpool and Newcastle during his career and also collected England caps.

Shelvey has now admitted that there was something about Forest that really shocked him when he first joined the City Ground outfit.

He told Four Four Two (Print Edition, October 2026): “It was a move that financially made sense, but I didn’t realise what I was walking into. It was a conveyor belt of players going in and out. It’s been nice to see them getting more stable since then – not in terms of managers, but certainly with players. It’s a great club with great people, but it didn’t work out for me. I was made to train with the kids, so it turned into a bad experience, but I tried to stay professional.”

Thankfully, as Shelvey alludes to, the Reds have sorted themselves out. In 2022/23, the player turnover was embarrassing at times, and although lessons are still being learned, it’s fair to say that things are going better.

Evangelos Marinakis has learned lessons from signing players like Shelvey merely interested in a move for a final paycheck and hopefully the recruitment can continue to improve under Oliver Glasner.

This article first appeared on Nottingham Forest News and was syndicated with permission.