Former Liverpool and Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has been appointed manager of Dubai side Arabian Falcons FC.
The 34-year-old has decided to retire from playing and focus on his new role which sees him take charge of the UAE Second Division side in what is his first managerial role in football.
Shelvey moved to the Falcons last summer after being asked to join by his old Arsenal youth academy teammate Harry Agombar who was manager of a club that was only founded in 2023.
And now Shelvey has decided to make the move into management with Agombar, 33, moving upstairs to become sporting director.
“I’m excited to take on this challenge and lead the Falcons forward. We have a talented group and a clear vision to achieve promotion and build something special in Dubai,” Shelvey said in a press release.
“My ambition is to climb to the very top of management and this is the perfect project to prove myself and what I’m capable of.”
Shelvey, who won six England caps during a playing career that saw him make more than 250 Premier League appearances, will manage a squad that includes former Manchester United attacker Ravel Morrison and is aiming for promotion to the UAE First Division this season.
The changes are part of a project being driven by ex-Crystal Palace player Jason Puncheon, 39, who is co-owner and head of football operations at the club.
“Jonjo is the perfect fit for our project. His experience at the highest level, combined with his character and hunger, will inspire the team as we push for promotion and long-term success,” said Puncheon, who made more than 150 Premier League appearances for Palace.
The Flacons also announced that a behind-the-scenes documentary will follow the final five games of the season and the early days of Shelvey's reign with the club third in the table, one place outside the promotion spots.
In an interview with The National in February, Shelvey revealed that he was working towards his Uefa A Licence and had just turned down an offer to become assistant manager at Turkish side Konyaspor.
“I thought I had just moved my family over [to Dubai] and I can't just then disappear and leave them,” he said. “I knew that if I went down that route now, then I'm basically saying bye to playing football. So I wasn't ready to give it up yet.”
Shelvey also stated that he was not yet ready to retire from playing. “The Falcons have talked about giving me another year's contract. I only signed for a year,” he said.
“So I'll be open to that and just see what happens. And then the coaching side of it, I just keep doing the hours on the training pitch and growing and taking it all in and learning new ways how to play football.”
But the opportunity of taking over as manager of such an ambitious project has clearly proven too hard to turn down with the club's press release saying “Shelvey’s presence and proven on-pitch leadership qualities will be the catalyst to elevate the team’s performance and secure promotion”.
