Kelly left Newcastle after just six months to join Juventus in the January transfer window
Lloyd Kelly of Juventus (Image: 2025 Daniele Badolato - Juventus FC)View Image
Former Newcastle United defender Lloyd Kelly has revealed he was shocked to leave the club just six months after joining the Magpies.
Kelly joined Newcastle on a free transfer from Bournemouth last summer but struggled to break into the starting XI amid a couple of shaky performances.
The 27-year-old made just 14 appearances for United and failed to start again in the Premier League after struggling in Newcastle's 2-0 defeat at home to West Ham in November last year.
As such, the club sanctioned his departure in the January transfer window as he joined Italian giants Juventus on an initial loan deal before making the move permanent in the summer.
And speaking about how his move to the Bianconeri came about, he admitted he didn't expect to leave Newcastle so early but was desperate to make the move to Turin once he became aware of Juventus' interest.
"I didn't expect it because at that time, I wasn’t playing too much at Newcastle but I was a key player in the squad and felt important and felt like I was needed," Kelly told Juventus' official podcast.
"My agent phoned me and just said: 'Would you move to Juventus?’ It took me ten seconds to realise what he said and I just said: 'Yes, let's do it'.
"Even if the door was slightly ajar, I would have said: ‘Let’s push for this.’ Luckily, it actually happened."
Kelly has established himself as a regular starter at Juventus and recently scored in wins over Inter Milan in Serie A and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. He also played a part in the Club World Cup over the summer and has become a player head coach Igor Tudor has grown to rely upon.
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