Lloyd Kelly completed a £20million permanent switch from Newcastle United to Juventus over the summer.
Former Newcastle United defender Lloyd Kelly has revealed joining Juventus took him by surprise.
A reunion with Eddie Howe on Tyneside proved too good to turn down in July 2024, with Kelly joining the Magpies on a free transfer. It was the Toon boss who initially took the centre-back to Bournemouth five years earlier.
However, Kelly’s time at St James’ Park lasted just six months as Newcastle shipped him out on loan the following January. He made just four Premier League starts for United before Juve came calling with a life-changing offer.
Lloyd Kelly reborn at Juventus
The Serie A giants approached Newcastle with an initial loan deal that became permanent for £20million in the summer. Given the tight PSR landscape, the move was a no-brainer for the Magpies.
Kelly had dropped down the pecking order at centre-back and left-back, playing just five minutes in Newcastle’s previous 12 top-flight appearances. Understandably, his confidence was shot and his form did not improve in Italy - at least early on.
The 27-year-old has since shone at the Old Lady, bagging goals against Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund. Kelly is now part of a British contingent - including Scott McTominay and Ruben Loftus-Cheek - that are impressing in Italy.
‘I wasn’t expecting it’ - Lloyd Kelly
Speaking to Juve’s official podcast, Kelly admitted he pushed for the move once hit agent revealed the shock news. He said: “I wasn’t expecting it because at that point, even though I wasn’t playing much at Newcastle, I was still one of the key players in the squad and felt important.
“My agent called me and simply asked, ‘Would you like to move to Juventus?’ It took me ten seconds to understand what he meant, and then I said yes. Let’s go. Even if the door had been just ajar, I would have said, ‘Let’s push for it.’ Luckily, it actually happened.”
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Eddie Howe on Lloyd Kelly sale
Reflecting on the sale due to PSR issues, Howe said in January: “I don’t think it was necessarily my decision to let him leave, I think it was very reluctant from our side because Lloyd’s a player that had just recently signed and we believed in him and his qualities.
“Slightly frustrating for him that he hadn’t played more, but in part really due to the form of the other players around him. But I think we’re in the world, and we have been this window of trying to manage PSR and trying to make decisions that benefit us in the long-term, and this is one of those decisions.
“So, Lloyd leaves with our best wishes, he certainly has had an exemplary attitude during his time here and I’m sure he’ll do well in Italy and it’s an exciting new challenge for him.”
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