Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Juventus signed the 27-year-old from Newcastle in January. Kelly didn’t have the easiest first six months, and if it wasn’t for the obligation to buy in his loan deal, the Italian giants would have probably sent him back.
Several reports in the summer had suggested that Juventus were looking to sell Kelly just as quick as they signed him permanently, but a move never materialised, and the defender was left in a foreign country at club that seemingly didn’t want him.
Kelly couldn’t have been blamed if he shrank into himself, but instead, he put in the work and is now one of the first names on the Juventus team sheet.
How did Kelly start at Juventus?
The best place to begin is usually the beginning. Kelly’s debut was poor, and the Italian media tore him apart for it, questioning whether he was a good enough fit for a side with such a storied defensive history almost immediately.
In Kelly’s defence, he was a half time substitute against Como, coming on at right-back, a position he’s never really played throughout his career in England. We’re not saying he was set up to fail, but he wasn’t exactly set up to succeed either.
He wasn’t too bad after that game, in fact, he was fairly solid as Juventus laboured to a top four finish, but a couple of shocking performances cast him in a negative light in the eyes of many supporters.
His worst was probably the 4-0 home defeat to Atalanta back in March, Kelly’s defending for Atalanta’s four goal was dreadful. Dusan Vlahovic lost the ball in the middle of the pitch, and it ended up with Ademola Lookman.
Kelly kept backing off, and then slipped just as Lookman struck the ball, gifting the Atalanta forward with a goal via a heavy deflection. Another poor showing in the next game against Fiorentina didn’t help his cause.
His overall numbers for the second half of last season don’t look good. Kelly made just 15 tackles, won 55 ground duels and 36 aerial duels. Of course, Juventus were poor overall, but the Englishman should still have done better.
How is Kelly doing now?
Igor Tudor showed a lot of faith in Kelly before he was sacked earlier in the season. Luciano Spalletti, Tudor’s eventual replacement has continued the trend of making the former Bournemouth and Newcastle man a key player.
Kelly has played every minute of his 14 Serie A appearances so far this season, looking solid as Spalletti’s left-sided centre back as part of their back three, while also providing a unique attacking threat.
He’s always been very comfortable with the ball at his feet, and Spalletti has given him a little bit of freedom to carry the ball further up the pitch and contribute to attacks. Kelly has completed nine dribbles at a success rate of 90%.
His new more attacking role was evident in Juve’s 4-3 Serie A win over Inter Milan, scoring the opening goal in the 14th minute after been left completely unmarked in the centre of the box to score with a well placed volley.
Of course, defenders should ultimately be judged by how they perform at the other end of the pitch, and Kelly is excelling. He’s won 22 tackles, 75 ground duels, made 70 recoveries, won possession in the final third seven times, and won 37 aerial duels.
A potential England call-up?
Kelly is clearly brimming with confidence, as he should be. The defender is hoping to get the chance to represent England at next year’s World Cup under Thomas Tuchel despite not playing for his country any higher than the under-21s.
"It's something that's always been in my mind since I finished with the under-21s," he said in an interview with the BBC. "The England squad is so strong.
"The amount of players and the quality England have is huge. Everyone knows this is a very important year coming up to the World Cup.
"It's just about me playing my best football and seeing where it goes."
Verdict
It can’t be understated just how hard it is for a player to turn their career at a club around like Kelly has done at Juventus. He’s always had the quality to play for a top side, and he may get the chance to do so in the Premier League again soon.
Clearly a confidence player, if he keeps it up, there is no reason he shouldn’t at least be on the plane for next year’s World Cup. One could argue he’s better than the likes of Ezri Konsa, although he’s also fantastic.