Lloyd Kelly under fire as Italian media’s harsh criticism after first Juventus vs PSV match last night

On transfer deadline day in January, Newcastle United permitted Lloyd Kelly to join Juventus on loan, which will become permanent in the summer for a fee of approximately £20 million.

It was a major deal for Newcastle because Lloyd Kelly had only joined the Magpies in the summer on a free transfer from Bournemouth.

With it being the second time that Eddie Howe had signed him, we all thought that there must be a reason for this and expected big things from Lloyd Kelly.

Unfortunately, the 26-year-old could not break into the Newcastle starting lineup, and on the rare occasion he did find himself on the pitch, he failed to impress.

Lloyd Kelly’s Juventus career hasn’t started well

It seemed absurd that a club of Juventus’ calibre would be so eager to sign Kelly, but it was true, and that is where he ended up.

Despite only signing last week, Kelly has already appeared as a substitute in Serie A and started in the Champions League. Juventus defeated PSV 2-1 on the night, but Lloyd Kelly received ratings indicating he was on the losing side.

He got pasted in the media after his debut against Como, but things didn’t get better for him last night as Football Italia noted that both TuttoSport and La Gazetta dello Sport were very harsh with their ratings for the Englishman.

“The Englishman had a slow start and struggled with physical duels, just like against Como on Friday. His stormy night continued in the second half as he turned his back to Perisic, who controlled the ball and scored from inside the box.”

Newcastle did wisely by ensuring his deal include a ‘obligation’ rather than a ‘option’ to buy; otherwise, he may be returning to Tyneside.