Eddie Howe recently warned of ‘business logic’ outranking ‘football logic’ this month – and that particular scenario may well be playing out with Lloyd Kelly at present. That is now a possibility the defender leaves for Serie A giants Juventus before the winter deadline after Howe insisted he thought the club’s business – both incoming and outgoing – had been completed.
“As we stand now, currently I don’t [see anyone else leaving]. But, yeah, things can change, but as we stand at the moment, I expect the squad to remain the same,” Howe told reporters on Friday morning.
Despite Juventus’ firm interest, Kelly came off the bench in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham, further adding to the sense that he would remain beyond the window. Howe, again, went on to reiterate the fact the home reversal to Marco Silva’s side wouldn’t change the transfer situation on Tyneside.
Kelly’s exit, however, makes financial sense. A loan with an obligation to buy means Newcastle know they will have cash coming in before the summer window and ‘pure profit’ represented on their balance sheet.
Kelly was brought in for a free only last summer and it would be a masterstroke from sporting director Paul Mitchell, financially, to get £20m on the books for him after only 300 minutes of Premier League football this term.
This, of course, will be seen as less of a shrewd move should the Magpies fail to reinvest before 11pm on Monday evening. Howe continues to insist the club cannot spend until the summer, with that pesky ‘business logic’ rearing its head to trump everything else once again.
Howe’s options are already looking worryingly thin and he has limited game changers from the sidelines at a time where Newcastle have an almost clear run at a European finish. Not replacing Almiron, as mentioned, means the Newcastle boss has just four fit attackers for three frontline slots at present. Losing Kelly, despite him currently being fourth-choice, would equally put a strain on the backline.
The next 36 hours will prove interesting – and potentially season-defining – with Newcastle in possession of what their financial output looks like on the back of this 11th hour exit. If, as expected, no new face arrives, then fingers will have to be firmly crossed to see whether the north east outfit can make it through the remainder of the campaign with a desperately thin senior squad.
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