Eddie Howe has admitted he was “very reluctant” to see Lloyd Kelly leave Newcastle United on transfer deadline day and said that it “wasn’t necessarily” his decision.
Kelly, who signed for Newcastle on a free transfer last June after leaving Bournemouth, has joined Juventus on loan for the remainder of the season with an obligation for a permanent £20million deal to be completed this summer.
While Howe acknowledged that sales would “benefit us in the long-term,” within the restrictions of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), he said that Kelly’s departure was more about “controlling some sales that navigated us out of a problem.” In other words, there was no scope for Newcastle to do anything proactive last month.
“I don’t think it was necessarily my decision to let him leave,” the head coach said about Kelly. “I think it’s very reluctant from our side because Lloyd is a player that had just recently signed and we believed in him and his qualities. It was slightly frustrating for him that he hadn’t played more, 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’s certainly shown an exemplary attitude in his time here. I’m sure he’ll do well in Italy, and it’s an exciting new challenge for him.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6111871/2025/02/04/newcastle-lloyd-kelly-juventus-transfer/