\n<\/p>\n
Juventus have officially announced<\/a> the signing of Newcastle United center-back Lloyd Kelly.<\/p>\n Welcome to our newest Juventus player, Lloyd Kelly! \u26aa\u26ab<\/p>\n \u2014 JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) February 3, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Kelly joins on an initial loan with a fee of \u20ac3 million, with an obligation to buy attached for \u20ac14.5 million. The obligation is conditional, but the conditions are so easy to meet that the team\u2019s press release says it\u2019s being treated as a definitive acquisition.<\/p>\n Kelly joined the Magpies this summer on a free transfer after running down his contract with Bournemouth. But he never really got going at St. James\u2019 Park, and was far enough out of the picture that they felt comfortable sending him to Juve despite having just signed him to a five-year free agent contract. Juve turned to him after their first target, Lille\u2019s Kevin Danso failed his medical<\/a>\u2014the second time in as many windows he\u2019s failed a medical for an Italian club.<\/p>\n Kelly\u2019s best year to date came in the English Championship in 2021-22, when he played 41 times and helped Bournemouth to promotion. He was only booked five times in those 41 games, and it was that performance that saw him break out as a prospect.<\/p>\n Injuries kept him to 23 league games each of the past two years, and is likely why Bournemouth decided to let him go over the summer. Ironically, Kelly\u2019s replacement at Bournemouth was Dean Huijsen\u2014who Juve are probably kicking themselves over using as plusvaleza right now.<\/p>\n A center-back who can also flex out to the left, Kelly is a pacy defender, which is something Juve\u2019s central defense generally lacks. He\u2019s also strong building play from the back, which is an important skill for any defender in Thiago Motta\u2019s system.<\/p>\n Kelly\u2019s arrival gives Juve some more center-back depth just in time to cover for the recent injury to Pierre Kalulu. Hopefully Kalulu won\u2019t be out too long, and Kelly can take his place as a rotational piece in the back along with Renato Veiga.<\/p>\n Cristiano Giuntoli and Motta clearly think Kelly can be a working piece of the puzzle in the future if they were willing to include an obligation to buy. Right now, though, if he\u2019s playing significant minutes between now and the end of the season, either he\u2019ll have shocked everyone by playing well enough to force the issue\u2014giving Giuntoli two hits on castaway center-backs this season\u2014or something will have gone horribly wrong with the rest of the depth chart.<\/p>\n Other moves may still be in the works as the window ends, so continue to watch this space.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n