By the opening of the transfer window on Friday, Newcastle United had hoped two free-agent deals would already be tied up before a consequential and complicated summer.
While there is an acceptance Tosin Adarabioyo’s decision to choose Chelsea was a blow, the capture of Lloyd Kelly, a player entering his prime years, for the absence of a transfer fee is seen as astute business. Especially considering Tottenham Hotspur offered £20million ($25.5m at present exchange rates) for Kelly last summer.
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Landing a free-transfer defender from Bournemouth may not arouse excitement — the club are targeting more stimulating names, evidenced by their ambitious approach for Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise — but inside Newcastle, the capture of Kelly is viewed as a “no-brainer”, given their financial and footballing circumstances.
He is a signing for the future, but also a signing for now as he is proven in the top flight and immediately strengthens the squad. Kelly’s untapped potential — and Eddie Howe’s ability to finally mine it — has governed Newcastle’s pursuit.
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When Howe acquired Kelly for Bournemouth in 2019, he deemed the Bristol City academy graduate as a defender who could reach an elite level and there was an expectation he would become an England international.
Persistent fitness issues, upheaval at Dean Court and a lack of a consistent run have stunted his growth, yet Kelly, aged 25, has made 54 Premier League appearances. It is rare to sign a player on a free transfer who, theoretically, is yet to reach their prime.
There is confidence a reunion with Howe will extract more from the player so the acclimatisation period should be minimal. For Kelly, it is a case of “unfinished” business, given he only played nine times under Howe at Bournemouth.
Kelly is tall, athletic, pacey and adept at making recovery runs and, critically, he is versatile, a characteristic Newcastle are placing great importance upon.
His senior game time has been split between left-back and centre-half, meaning Kelly helps solve multiple squad issues. Tying Kelly to a five-year deal, with the option of a sixth, also protects his value.
In the short term, Kelly provides cover for Sven Botman, who is sidelined for most of 2024 with an anterior cruciate knee ligament (ACL) injury.
In the longer run, Kelly’s age and profile make him ideally suited to be Dan Burn’s eventual successor. Lewis Hall, whose loan will become a permanent £28million transfer from Chelsea, is the attacking left-sided option, while Burn or Kelly allow Howe to deploy a hybrid left-back/centre-half in a back three.
With Matt Ritchie departing and Callum Wilson potentially leaving — and Kieran Trippier’s future far from certain — Howe’s five-man leadership group has also been diminished. Jamaal Lascelles, the club captain, also had an ACL injury. Not only will Kelly provide competition for Burn and Fabian Schar at centre-back, but he also brings the leadership qualities Howe has been seeking having skippered Bournemouth aged 22.
Kelly takes Paul Dummett’s squad place, as a youthful upgrade as a left-sided defender. Aside from Botman (24), Newcastle’s other centre-backs are 30 or older, and they were keen to begin reducing their age profile.
Bringing in a free agent for a position that required augmenting represents a positive first signing of the summer.
Kelly has been on recruitment lists since the first post-takeover window — he was tracked by Andy Howe and Bournemouth’s scouting team from 16 and was signed ahead of strong competition from Liverpool — given his attributes are suited to how Eddie Howe plays. Ongoing interest was firmed up once Botman and Lascelles succumbed to injury in March.
Beginning the 2024-25 season with only two fit centre-backs was unthinkable, so recruiting defenders was prioritised. Kelly can play as a centre-half — as he did 91 times for Bournemouth — while he has also regularly been used at left-back, being deployed there 45 times, including on 14 occasions last season.
Boasting a 6ft 3in frame (190cm) — he won 60.9 per cent of aerial duels last season, placing him among the top 12 per cent of centre-backs across Europe’s top-five leagues — Kelly is also considered to be one of the Premier League’s quickest centre-backs.
Adding defensive pace is important, given Howe’s preference for a high line. Kelly’s recovery-run speed should prevent the back four from being exposed in behind as often down the left, while he is proficient at winning turnovers in transitional areas. “I really enjoy one-v-one defending,” Kelly told NUFCTV.
Below is an example of Kelly using his recovery pace to regain the ball in the left-back position against Luton Town in April.
Kelly is marking Luton’s Andros Townsend tightly as the ball comes over.
But instead of being rolled or beaten to the ball, Kelly’s pace allows him to turn and get back safely despite another opponent in a threatening position.
His familiarity with playing left-back is a bonus, as Kelly can play both alongside Burn or instead of him.
Hall is the offensive option at left-back but is inexperienced and still only 19 — he is unlikely to start every week. On occasion away from home, Howe wants to retain the ability to play a taller, aerially dominant back four, who can transition into a back three in possession.
With Botman absent, Kelly’s calmness on the ball will be key. Howe wants to build from the back and Kelly’s technical strength means he can be a reliable starting point for attacks. “I want to play with the ball,” Kelly said. “Newcastle want to be progressive, front-foot, and that suits my style.”
He can also play further forward and create chances, as shown below against Aston Villa in April. Receiving the ball just outside the Villa area, he lifts a perfectly placed ball towards the back post for Dango Ouattara, who hits the side netting.
Below are his most common passes throughout 2023-24, the majority made from left-back.
For Newcastle, he will look to find Anthony Gordon down the line, a pass Newcastle often make.
Here is an example of Kelly making just that pass for Bournemouth from the left-back position. Receiving the ball against Brentford in May, he manoeuvres out to Justin Kluivert to set the winger on a run against his full-back, as he would with Gordon for Newcastle.
However, Kelly has also become used to playing inside and in the opposition half, as shown in the pass distribution graphic below.
Kelly can also switch the angle of attack from left to right with cross-field balls, similar to Botman.
Below is an example against Chelsea in May. Starting in a left centre-back position just inside the Chelsea half, Kelly lofts a pass forward with his left foot, spreading the play to an available team-mate, Ouattara, as he did in the earlier example against Villa.
During Bournemouth’s promotion season in 2021-22, Scott Parker made Kelly captain. Parker loved the way Kelly played, making him the focus of Bournemouth’s patient build-up. Kelly averaged the most touches (82.9) and attempted passes (73.8) per 90 minutes for Bournemouth in that Championship campaign.
However, some Bournemouth supporters perceived Kelly to be ponderous and he came to typify the sometimes pedestrian nature of their play; he was enacting what the manager wanted, but he became the outlet for some fans’ ire. Kelly was even booed on occasion, which affected his confidence, and he was stripped of the armband by Gary O’Neil.
There is an acceptance, however, that the main risk with Kelly is his injury record.
Although Newcastle believe they can better manage the defender, he was absent for a third of the possible league matches throughout his time at Bournemouth and many of his issues have been muscular. The lack of a transfer fee mitigates the gamble involved but, following the fitness issues Newcastle suffered throughout the 2023-24 season, there will be scrutiny surrounding Kelly’s durability.
In 2020, Howe declared of Kelly: “He’s got everything he needs to be a top player… if he can stay free from injury, then he can achieve so many great things.” Howe — and Jason Tindall, Newcastle’s assistant head coach, who briefly managed Kelly at Bournemouth — firmly feel that remains the case.
Kelly may have been a necessary, cost-effective signing, but Newcastle also maintain he is a smart one who, under Howe, can blossom into a top Premier League defender and an England international.
