Jonjo Shelvey 'wasn't hounded out of Swansea', says boss Alan Curtis

Shelvey criticised fans after joining Newcastle United

Swansea manager Alan Curtis has denied Jonjo Shelvey was forced out of the club.

England midfielder Shelvey completed a £12million move to Newcastle on Tuesday after starting only one Barclays Premier League game for Swansea since the end of November.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Newcastle on Friday, Shelvey accused Swansea fans of jumping on his back and claimed he was 'hung out to dry' during the final weeks of his two-and-a-half-year stay at the Liberty Stadium.

But Curtis said: "I don't see how he can direct any criticism towards the club.

"Obviously, there was a little bit of trouble between Jonjo and a small section of supporters.

"But even during the (FA Cup) game last Sunday at Oxford a lot of the crowd were cheering his name.

"I think the criticism at the end was probably a reaction to the performance of the team as much as Jonjo's performance.

"He certainly wasn't hounded out of the club in any way.

"It was just a case of Jonjo wanting to play first-team football and in the end it was probably a good deal for both parties.

"The money was good and it was probably good for Jonjo to move, it was in the interest of both parties for him to have a fresh start."

Shelvey lost his first-team place before Curtis succeeded Garry Monk at the start of December.

The 23-year-old signed a four-year contract in the summer but he failed to regain his place after suspension for what proved to be Monk's final game against Leicester.

Shelvey said he had wondered what was going on as he had "played for England four weeks ago", but Curtis said his omission might have been for "all sorts of reasons".

"More often than not Jonjo has been a regular in the side since he's been here and in the last couple of months that's not always been the case," Curtis said.

"I've always said that our form and Jonjo's form probably went hand in hand.

"We've had a disappointing season and I think, hand on heart, Jonjo would say that he's probably had a disappointing season as well.

"I can't remember the circumstances of the (Leicester) game, but if Jonjo wasn't in the starting 11 that could have been for all sorts of reasons.

"I've stated in the past, quite recently, that I wanted him to stay.

"He wasn't in the team, but he was always going to get an opportunity to get back and from there it would have been up to him."

Swansea have been linked to former player Jonathan de Guzman in this month's transfer window, the Dutch international midfielder having played over 90 games in two seasons on loan at the club before joining Serie A giants Napoli in 2014.

"He's a player we know and it probably makes sense to bring someone like him," said Curtis amid reports of Swansea also being linked to Scott Sinclair, another former player now at Aston Villa, and Roma's Ivory Coast striker Seydou Doumbia.

"I've said all along we need to spruce the squad up and there's a lot going on at the moment behind the scenes."

PA