JONJO Shelvey will almost certainly become a Blackpool player – it’s just a question of when.
Ian Holloway is trying to complete the deal for the Liverpool frontman before tomorrow’s Bloomfield Road showdown with Bristol City.
The Reds had insisted on the 19-year-old staying at Anfield for another fortnight – but a deal now appears to have been struck.
But the loan deal is set to go through and that will delight Holloway, who spent most of the summer trying to land the talented youngster.
The Pool boss wanted Shelvey included in the deal which saw Charlie Adam join Liverpool in July, but he was knocked back.
He has been trying to get the former Charlton attacker on loan ever since and Shelvey’s arrival would be a relief for the manager, who has talked about a lack of firepower in his squad.
The Anfield teenager also has pace, which is essential to Holloway’s style of play.
Londoner Shelvey became Charlton’s youngest ever first-team player in 2008, at the age of 16 years and 59 days.
He scored seven goals in 42 appearances for the Addicks before making a £2.4m move to Liverpool in April last year
He has made 15 appearances for the Merseyside club but has yet to get on the scoresheet.
The loan deal will run until 31st December, however, the Reds can recall the player after 28 days by giving Pool 24 hours notice of their intention to do so.
Jonjo Shelvey hailed his Blackpool debut as 'a perfect day' after scoring a goal and winning the Man of the Match award in a 5-0 victory.
The 19-year-old midfielder, who has joined on loan from Liverpool for three months, loved every minute of his performance and revealed that former skipper Charlie Adam told him what to expect.
"Charlie mentioned about how passionate the fans are and it has given me thrills to come out and play again. I can't wait to play in front of them again. "It was a perfect day for me, I had my family in the stands and I capped it off with a great goal."
His strike came from a free-kick 35-yards out that gave the Seasiders a platform to build on at 2-0.
"I just thought I'm going to smash it and see what happens. It came off nicely and started spinning away from the keeper so it was a good goal for me personally.
"The manager has told me to go and express myself and for a player in my position that's what I like to do."
Shelvey is now relishing his next game in a tangerine shirt following international commitments with England's U-21s.
"I support West Ham so it's going to be quite emotional for me to play and I think all my mates will be going to that as well," he added.