Newcastle have quietly been one of the most disappointing teams in European football this season, going from a Champions League side to a team that may not even be playing in any European competition next season.
As it stands right now, Newcastle sit sixth in the Premier League table and still occupy a Europa League place. However, they are only two points ahead of Chelsea in seventh and Manchester United in eighth, so there remains a chance of them suffering a disappointment. And there are 11 points between them and Aston Villa in fourth.
Newcastle, regardless of the outcome of the current season, are going to need to strengthen the squad this summer to get back to the Champions League level in 2024/25.
The defense was a real strength of the team last season, but it has been weakened this year by injuries and inconsistency. Season-ending injuries to Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman have only highlighted the need for more depth.
According to a report from Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna, Newcastle have already take a big step toward addressing defensive depth by agreeing to a deal with impending free agent Lloyd Kelly.
The Bournemouth man is wanted by many clubs around Europe, including in the Premier League and even Serie A’s Juventus. They were even thinking of signing him to a pre-contract in January.
Now, it looks like Kelly is headed to Newcastle. The 25-year-old is one of the most talented center backs in the Premier League when he is on his game, and he could benefit greatly from working with legitimate top-class central defenders in Botman and the criminally underrated Fabian Schar.
For the price of precisely zero pounds in transfer fee, Newcastle are getting a low-risk, high-reward center back who is relatively young and could break out under a better manager in Eddie Howe and with a better team in Newcastle.
If this free agent transfer does indeed go through, chalk it up as a nifty early summer transfer window win for the Magpies.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.
