Lloyd Kelly enjoys his biggest moment since leaving Newcastle United for Juventus

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Former Newcastle United player Lloyd Kelly finally got off the mark for Juventus after completing a permanent move to the Serie A side.

It feels like ages since the Englishman joined the Magpies on a free transfer from Bournemouth, but in reality, it was only 14 months ago.

Lloyd Kelly’s time at Newcastle United was uninspiring to say the least. The defender made just 10 Premier League appearances under Eddie Howe before being loaned to Juventus during the January transfer window.

The 26-year-old found some joy in Turin, playing more than he did at Newcastle due to a major injury crisis at the back. However, Kelly’s performances were considered far from adequate for the Italian media, who were quick to berate him for the smallest of errors.

This season, Kelly has still been a big part of Juventus’ starting XI, and has enjoyed his biggest moment since joining the club on a permanent transfer in the summer.

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Lloyd Kelly scores his first goal for Juventus after Newcastle United exit

After his slow start to life in Italy, reports suggested that Juventus were ready to sell Kelly. It was also said that Sunderland were interested in Kelly before signing their plethora of centre-backs.

Newcastle banked around £20m from Kelly’s Juventus move, something that significantly improved their PSR stance heading into the transfer window.

The Magpies were able to sign Malick Thiaw from AC Milan after Kelly left, but the German is yet to make a start for their new club after joining in August. In the meantime, Kelly will be delighted with his latest performance, after he scored the opening goal in Juventus’ thrilling 4-3 win against last season’s Champions League finalists Inter Milan.

Kelly capitalised on a loose ball to fire in from around the penalty area after 14 minutes to give the Old Lady the lead.

The defender conceded three goals, but he will not care one bit as his opener proved to be vital to the final score.

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No Newcastle United fan could have predicted Lloyd Kelly’s move to Juventus

While he was never a hit on Tyneside, fans will always be left buzzing that Newcastle were able to take home a big profit for Kelly.

Former sporting director Paul Mitchell should also receive some credit for his involvement in the deal. It was reported that Mitchell negotiated a sell-on clause for Kelly, so Newcastle should receive a tasty bonus if Kelly moves on.

Before leaving, virtually nobody could have predicted that Kelly would go from a fringe player at Newcastle to a regular starter at Juventus, and even then, nobody could have predicted that he would play in the Champions League and start against the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid in the Club World Cup.

It has been a weird yet remarkable rise for Kelly, and while it did not work out for him at Newcastle, he is showing his quality in the most bizarre of locations.