Lloyd Kelly left Newcastle United to play in the Champions League, but his European dream is now over.
Newcastle loaned Kelly to Juventus during the January transfer window, with the Serie A giants set to pay £20million for the defender in the summer.
Kelly took a wage cut to join Juventus, while his looming permanent departure will hand Newcastle United a healthy PSR boost that will aid their summer transfer plans.
For Lloyd Kelly, he is getting the chance to play for one of the biggest clubs in Europe, representing them in the biggest competition in Europe.
Lloyd Kelly suffers Champions League heartbreak
Kelly made his Champions League debut last week. They beat PSV Eindhoven 2-1 in the first leg of their playoff, setting up an intriguing second leg on Wednesday night.
Sadly for Juventus, their trip to Eindhoven ended with Champions League elimination.
Thiago Motta’s side lost 3-1 to PSV after extra time, which means they lost 4-3 on aggregate and have been knocked out of the Champions League.
Kelly started for the second time in Europe’s elite competition, playing the full 120 minutes. However, it is now the last time that he will play in it this season.
It was a tough night for the Old Lady, with Calciomercato handing out some low ratings after the match. They ranged from 5/10 to 6.5/10, with Kelly receiving a score of 5.5.
On Kelly, they wrote: “Good, good, in fact: too good. In the sense that the game becomes complicated for him after a few minutes and he uses the rest of the time to memorize a pairing with Gatti. He plays as a centre. And he plays well. Until everything falls apart.”
Sportmediaset’s ratings for Juventus ranged from 5/10 to 6/10, with Kelly given 5.5/10.
On Kelly, Sportmediaset wrote: “Ready to go and after about ten minutes he is moved to the centre of defence following Renato Veiga’s injury. In the first half he stands out for a good block in recovery on Noa Lang and for a parry in front of Di Gregorio on a powerful right-footed shot from the Dutch number 10. In the second half and in extra time he struggles much more and is too often outplayed by De Jong.”
The other former Newcastle United player in Champions League action
Kelly was not the only former Newcastle United player competing in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
If you watched the Paris Saint-Germain vs Brest game, you will have recognised the man playing at left-back for the away team.
Massadio Haidara started at left-back for Brest, playing 70 minutes and picking up a yellow card. Sadly for Haidara and Brest, they lost 7-0 as they exited the competition 10-0 on aggregate.
The 32-year-old joined Brest last summer after leaving RC Lens. Brest are now Haidara’s second club after exiting Newcastle United in 2018.
Haidara made 53 appearances for the Magpies, having been signed by Alan Pardew in 2013.
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