Lloyd Kelly’s loan spell at Juventus from Newcastle United has not gotten off to the best of starts.
The Magpies decided to loan Lloyd Kelly to the Serie A side after it was revealed that he had become unhappy with his game time since moving to Tyneside in the 2024 summer transfer window.
Kelly played just 301 minutes in the Premier League for Newcastle United in the opening months of the campaign, struggling to impress during his time on the pitch, constantly playing second fiddle to Dan Burn and Lewis Hall on the left side of defence.
His frustrations would have been heightened when Sven Botman returned to Eddie Howe’s starting XI immediately after returning from a 10-month injury layoff, showing that there was work to be done if he wanted to become a regular starter at the club.
Kelly took a pay cut to join Juventus. His loan move is likely to be made permanent after sporting director Paul Mitchell inserted an obligation to buy worth an extra £17m.
Juventus fans have once again taken to social media as Kelly continues to struggle with the pace of Italian football.
Lloyd Kelly suffers heavy defeat at Juventus
Kelly picked up his first clean sheet since joining the Old Lady earlier in March when he played all 90 minutes in a 2-0 win against Hellas Verona. Fans may have believed that this was the start of a bright end to the season for the defender, but that is far from the case.
Juventus lost 4-0 to reigning Europa League champions Atalanta on Sunday night, with Kelly playing the full 90 minutes again.
Kelly was the lowest-rated player on Fotmob with his performance, and Juventus fans made it clear how unhappy they were with him.
“But where did they get this Kelly from??? Poor.” said one fan, while another added: “I would like to know how Kelly manages to play for Juve, is he a relative/friend of Giuntoli? Let me understand.”
This fan referred to links suggesting Sandro Tonali could join Juventus in the summer after interest in January, saying: “I hope that the purchase of Kelly is only the down payment for that of Tonali in the summer because otherwise, I can’t explain the operation.”
“Lloyd Kelly might be the worst defender I’ve ever seen play for Juve.” said this frustrated fan.
Another fan added: “Juventus spent actual money on Lloyd Kelly. How he is even in Serie A let alone starting for Juventus is genuinely sad and says a lot.”
Finally, this fan said: “Lloyd Kelly has to be one of the worst distributors of the ball I have ever seen. Time and again he plays team-mates into trouble. He certainly isn’t a Juventus player.”
Juventus signed Lloyd Kelly to replace Newcastle target
There’s no doubt that Kelly’s move to Juventus is bizarre and hasn’t worked out yet. The Englishman will still be pleased with the amount of game time he receives in Italy, despite his poor performances.
Juventus’ obligation to buy Kelly will be triggered if they finish in a European spot this season which looks highly likely at the moment.
Newcastle want to sign Dean Huijsen in the summer. The Magpies were interested in 2024 but the young defender opted for Bournemouth instead of a move to Tyneside. Huijsen’s move has worked out well so far, with Bournemouth chasing a Champions League place. Reports suggest that Newcastle must pay £50m for Huijsen.
Juventus were left short of defensive options when he left, they suffered injuries to their main defenders and were in need of someone to take what would have been Huijsen’s spot for the remainder of the season – Kelly was that someone.
Huijsen was pictured with Alexander Isak’s shirt in a recent Instagram post, sparking discussion amongst the fanbase over whether the Magpies will sign him or not.
The feeling is that Newcastle would have to be playing in Europe, preferably the Champions League if they want to sign the promising young defender.
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