Newcastle United made the tough decision to sell Lloyd Kelly to Juventus in January.
It was not a decision that Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe wanted to make, but ultimately it was an opportunity to get ahead on the next PSR cycle.
The Magpies bagged around £3m from Lloyd Kelly’s initial loan but could pick up as much as £17m if the Serie A giants decide to make the transfer permanent.
Kelly’s fee will be added to the £8m received from Miguel Almiron’s Newcastle exit – the Paraguayan joined Atlanta United, his former club, after six years on Tyneside.
Reports in January suggested that Kelly wanted to leave Newcastle after growing restless with his lack of minutes since joining on a free transfer in the summer.
Kelly only made four Premier League starts despite signing a five-year deal at the club.
Now Kelly’s move to Juventus has officially sunk in, reports in Italy have suggested just how much he will be playing under Thiago Motta.
Kelly’s chances of minutes at Juventus revealed
Kelly could be in line to make his debut for Juventus on Friday night away to Como. The 26-year-old made the move to Italy with the expectation that he would be playing much more football. However, according to Italian media, the defender may also struggle for minutes at Juventus.
Talking on Cronache di Spogliatoio, Riccardo Trevisani was asked about Kelly’s role at Juventus.
“In Kelly I see a filler on the bench,” he said.
“Certainly not a future starter for Juve, at least not for the Juve that we imagine.
“Numerically, we needed to beef up a department that was finished. I don’t know how many games he’ll play because if someone with those characteristics has to play, Gatti will play.”
If Kelly does not play as much for Juventus, he could easily return to Newcastle after the loan spell, meaning the Magpies would miss out on a big payday.
While Newcastle’s first-team squad has taken a hit from Almiron and Kelly’s departures, Geordie Boot Boys understands that Howe’s squad are not disheartened about the rest of the season and are motivated by the prospect of winning the Carabao Cup.
Newcastle need to invest in more depth this summer
Despite words in Italy, it does look like Kelly will be making a permanent move away from Newcastle in the summer. A press release from Juventus confirmed it is ‘highly likely’ that they sign him in the summer, even if his loan spell is not successful.
Either way, Newcastle must spend on new defenders in the summer to ensure they have enough depth if the likes of Sven Botman or Dan Burn get injured.
Botman will miss Newcastle’s trip to Birmingham with a knee problem which leaves Howe down to the bare bones for an important cup tie against the League One leaders.
At Newcastle, Kelly was merely a squad player, but for games like this, he was the perfect choice for Howe.
Newcastle must now look towards the under-21s and players like Cathal Heffernan for the FA Cup game. The likes of Alex Murphy, who has been in and around the matchday squads is out on loan at Bolton Wanderers and will not be available for Howe.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
