Sven Botman responds to former Newcastle teammate after exit move
Newcastle United centre-back Sven Botman has given his reaction to an update from Lloyd Kelly after his move to Juventus.
Kelly only joined Newcastle in last summer’s transfer window when he arrived on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with Premier League rivals Bournemouth.
However, the centre-back found game time hard to come by for Eddie Howe‘s side, despite the fact he previously played under Howe during his time with the Cherries.
As a result, he was loaned out to Italian giants Juventus during the January transfer window, just a few months after his arrival at St James’ Park.
Juventus also have an obligation to make the transfer permanent in the summer, in a deal that could earn Newcastle a profit of £12million on Kelly.
But while that means the 26-year-old’s association with the Magpies looks set to be a brief one, he still seemingly has the backing of some of his teammates from his time there.
Sven Botman reacts to Lloyd Kelly Champions League debut at Juventus
On Tuesday (11 February) Kelly made his Champions League debut for Juventus in their knockout play-off against PSV Eindhoven.
The Italian side claimed a 2-1 advantage from the first-leg of the tie, although some Newcastle fans were quick to point out that Kelly was at fault for the goal his new team conceded.
Even so, after the game the centre-back still took to his Instagram page to reflect on making his first appearance in the competition for Thiago Motta’s side.
Among those to show their support for Kelly in response to that was Botman, with the Newcastle centre-back liking the post from his now former teammate.
Newcastle United to do well out of Lloyd Kelly deal
Football Insider Verdict
Those at St James’ Park will feel they have done some good business by moving Kelly on to Juventus.
With this deal, they are in line to make a significant profit on a player they did not pay anything for, and had used sparingly in their side this season.
That profit they made here will help Newcastle spend more freely in this summer’s transfer window after having to work within PSR limitations recently.
In turn that will help strengthen the squad available to Howe, making them even more competitive next season with individuals who may be able to make a more considerable impact then Kelly did for the club.