Former Newcastle United defender Lloyd Kelly is set to complete a permanent move to Serie A side Juventus in July, but things have not been going well for him in Italy.
After signing on a free transfer from Bournemouth last summer, many fans would have thought that Lloyd Kelly signing for Newcastle United was a good move which gave the Magpies more bodies in defence for the Premier League season.
Unfortunately, it was far from that, with Kelly making a handful of league appearances in Newcastle’s first-team squad, failing to impress in the majority of them. In the January transfer window, Kelly completed a loan move to Juventus, but things did not get much better for him there.
Kelly was slammed by Italian media on his Juventus debut and was quickly referred to as one of the Old Lady’s worst signings in recent history. Despite that, Kelly met Juventus’ clause for a permanent transfer by helping them qualify for Europe.
The 26-year-old is now playing at the Club World Cup with Juventus, something that no Newcastle fan could have predicted at the start of the season. He has played in both of their fixtures so far, winning against Al Ain and Wydad AC.
With two games under his belt at the competition, the Italian media have shared their verdict on his latest performance – it is far from flattering.
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Italian media criticise Lloyd Kelly’s latest Club World Cup performance
Kelly has played Champions League football with Juventus this season, although it was only in two games due to their elimination in the play-off round.
He has undoubtedly received more game time with Juventus than he would have with Newcastle, but that is purely down to an injury crisis at the Serie A side, which forced them into the move.
Kelly will be pleased with his inclusion in Juventus’ Club World Cup squad, but the Italian media were not impressed with his latest showing against Wydad, despite Juventus winning the game 4-1.
Cult of Calcio rated Kelly 5/10, saying: “Arguably Juve’s poorest-performing defender! He was nowhere near Lorch for the goal. An unconvincing defensive display from the ex-Premier League star.”
Elsewhere, Calciomercato gave the former Newcastle man a 5.5/10, saying: “He is co-responsible for the action that leads to Lorch’s goal, but on the other side of the scale there is an excellent match in the opponent’s half.”
When does former Newcastle United ace Lloyd Kelly play in the Club World Cup?
Juventus won their first two Club World Cup games with ease, but their next test is easily their hardest one yet.
The Old Lady take on Manchester City at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Thursday evening. Juventus’s qualification to the knockout stages has already been confirmed after Man City beat Al Ain 6-0 on Monday night, so both teams are arguably playing for pride in the game.
| Statistics for Newcastle United | Lloyd Kelly |
| Appearances | 12 |
Still, Kelly is likely to feature in the game which will have many eyes on it. Some Newcastle fans will also surely be keen to see how Kelly performs against Premier League opposition.
Kelly did not play against Man City for Newcastle, so it will be the first time he has played against them since his spell at Bournemouth. It is a turn of events that no Newcastle fan could have ever seen coming, but one that they will surely have a close eye on.
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