Playing in the Champions League would have been a big part of Lloyd Kelly’s decision to leave Newcastle United.
Just six months after Newcastle United signed Lloyd Kelly as a free agent, the 26-year-old headed for the exit door.
Kelly joined Juventus on loan in the winter transfer window with a £20m obligation to buy him permanently in the summer. He was one of two major departures at Newcastle last month, with Miguel Almiron returning to MLS.
Kelly’s sale will fund a £70m signing in the summer, so agreeing to let him leave was a no-brainer for Newcastle, especially as he had only made 14 appearances for the Magpies.
The centre-back has become an immediate starter in Italy, and Juventus’ manager Thiago Motta was pleased with Kelly’s debut against Como. However, Italian media slammed Kelly and they are still yet to be convinced.
How the Italian media reacted to Lloyd Kelly’s Champions League debut
Kelly was back in action on Tuesday evening when Juventus faced Dutch side PSV in the first leg of their crucial Champions League play-off match.
Juventus won 2-1 on the night, with Kelly playing the full 90 minutes at left-back. PSV’s only goal of the game came through Ivan Perisic, who was up against Kelly on the left side of Juve’s defence.
After the full-time whistle, Italian outlet CalcioMercato gave Kelly a disappointing 4.5 rating out of 10.
They added: “Very complicated first half, second half started with courage until Perisic hits him in fear of making a mistake. Basic dribbling, offload to the near post. Him? He just watches.”
Kelly’s 4.5 rating was the lowest given to any Juventus player.
How Lloyd Kelly fared for Juventus vs PSV
Kelly has now been heavily criticised in his first two Juventus performances, but he seems to be keeping manager Motta happy.
A glance at Kelly’s stats paints a picture of how he performed on Europe’s biggest stage.
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Touches | 61 |
| Passes completed | 84% (31/37) |
| Duels won | 64% (7/11) |
| Tackles | 2 |
| Possession lost | 12 |
| Clearances | 4 |
READ MORE: Juventus embarrass themselves with a fresh Newcastle United plan after Lloyd Kelly move
Kelly’s match stats imply he played better than the Italian media suggests. He completed 84% of his passes and won more duels than he lost.
He was also not dribbled past once out wide, and completed three of his five long ball attempts.
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