Lloyd Casius Kelly (born 6 October 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Newcastle United. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a left-back.

Lloyd Kelly
Kelly in 2020
Personal information
Full name Lloyd Casius Kelly[1]
Date of birth (1998-10-06) 6 October 1998 (age 26)[2]
Place of birth Bristol, England
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m)[3][4]
Position(s) Centre-back, left-back
Team information
Current team
Newcastle United
Number 25
Youth career
2011–2017 Bristol City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2019 Bristol City 43 (2)
2019–2024 AFC Bournemouth 131 (2)
2024– Newcastle United 8 (0)
International career
2017–2018 England U20 9 (0)
2018–2021 England U21 10 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 November 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Bristol City

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Kelly joined Bristol City at the age of 12 after he was spotted playing for local side Bristol Central. In 2015–16, he was included in City's pre-season squad that visited Portugal. On 8 August 2017, Kelly made his debut for Bristol City in a 5–0 victory against Plymouth Argyle in the EFL Cup.[5] Kelly made his first league start on 23 December 2017 against Queens Park Rangers, and scored his first league goal against Reading just three days later.[6][7] At the end of the 2017–18 season, he was named the Senior Reds' Young Player of the Year.[8]

On 19 March 2018, he was named in the EFL "Team of the Week" for gameweek 38. He was praised for his 'maturity in defence' as well as providing the assist for the only goal of the game against Ipswich Town.[9]

AFC Bournemouth

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On 18 May 2019, Kelly signed for Premier League club AFC Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee, reported as £13 million, after eight years at Bristol City.[10] He made his debut for Bournemouth in an EFL Cup tie against Burton Albion on 25 September 2019.[11] His league debut followed in June 2020 when he played as a substitute against Wolverhampton Wanderers.[12] He scored his first goal for the club on 17 April 2021 in a 3–1 win against Norwich City.[13]

For the 2021–22 season, Kelly began to captain Bournemouth in the absence of club captain Steve Cook, beginning with the opening fixture of the campaign; a 2–2 home draw against West Bromwich Albion.[14] Kelly started the first 14 games of the season, playing a pivotal role in the Cherries' unbeaten start. This 14-game unbeaten run equalled a club record dating back to 1961.[15] Kelly scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 home win against Huddersfield Town.[16] Kelly was later confirmed as the Cherries' club captain after the departure of previous captain Steve Cook.[17]

On 5 June 2024, the club announced he would be leaving in the summer when his contract expired.[18]

Newcastle United

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On 13 June 2024, Newcastle United announced the signing of Kelly on a free transfer, joining the club from 1 July under his former coach Eddie Howe.[19]

International career

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In August 2017, Kelly made his debut for England U20, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 win over the Netherlands.[20] On 12 November 2018, he received his first call-up to the under-21 side[21] and made his debut as a third minute substitute during a 2–1 win over Italy in Ferrara on 15 November 2018.[22]

Kelly was a member of England's 23-man squad for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship[23] and 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[24]

Personal life

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Born in England, Kelly is of Jamaican descent.[25] From the age of six, Kelly spent twelve years in foster care alongside his siblings.[26][27]

Career statistics

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As of match played 25 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bristol City 2016–17[28] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017–18[29] Championship 11 1 1 0 2 0 14 1
2018–19[30] Championship 32 1 1 0 1 0 34 1
Total 43 2 2 0 3 0 48 2
AFC Bournemouth 2019–20[31] Premier League 8 0 0 0 1 0 9 0
2020–21[32] Championship 36 1 1 0 2 0 2[a] 0 41 1
2021–22[33] Championship 41 1 0 0 1 0 42 1
2022–23[34] Premier League 23 0 1 0 0 0 24 0
2023–24[35] Premier League 23 0 1 0 1 1 25 1
Total 131 2 3 0 5 1 2 0 141 3
Newcastle United 2024–25[36] Premier League 8 0 0 0 2 0 10 0
Career total 182 4 5 0 10 1 2 0 199 5
  1. ^ Appearances in Championship play-offs

Honours

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AFC Bournemouth

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "2024/25 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Lloyd Kelly: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Lloyd Kelly - Player Profile". TNT Sports. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Lloyd kelly - Men - Newcastle United". Newcastle United. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Bristol City 5–0 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Opposition Focus – Bristol City". Watford F.C. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Bristol City 2–0 Reading". BBC Sport. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  8. ^ McCartney, Aidan; Piercy, James (18 May 2019). "The Championship free agents who could be on Bristol City's radar this summer". Bristol Post. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Team of the Week: Matchday 38". English Football League. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  10. ^ "KELLY DEPARTS FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE". Bristol City F.C. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Burton 2–0 Bournemouth". BBC Sport. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Wolves 1–0 Bournemouth". BBC Sport. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Norwich 1–3 Bournemouth". BBC. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Cherries' 'leader' Lloyd Kelly will captain for West Brom". Daily Echo. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Parker's Class of 2021 equal 60-year club record". AFC Bournemouth. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  16. ^ "AFC Bournemouth 3-0 Huddersfield Town". BBC Sport. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Lloyd Kelly confirmed as Cherries captain after Steve Cook exit". Daily Echo. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  18. ^ "Club confirm 23/24 released and retained list". AFCB. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Latest. Newcastle United confirm Lloyd Kelly to join Magpies". Newcastle United F.C. 13 June 2024.
  20. ^ "KELLY MAKES ENGLAND UNDER-20 BOW". Bristol City F.C. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  21. ^ "LLOYD KELLY LINKS UP WITH ENGLAND U21S AFTER WITHDRAWALS FROM AIDY BOOTHROYD'S SQUAD". The Football Association. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  22. ^ "DOMINIC SOLANKE'S DOUBLE HELPS ENGLAND U21S TO VICTORY OVER EURO HOSTS ITALY". The Football Association. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  23. ^ "ENGLAND U21S SQUAD NAMED BY AIDY BOOTHROYD FOR THIS SUMMER'S EURO FINALS IN ITALY". The Football Association. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  24. ^ "Uefa U21 Euros squad". BBC Sport. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  25. ^ "Which 9 Jamaicans are Captain's of their Clubs in England?" – via www.youtube.com.
  26. ^ "England Under-21s' Lloyd Kelly: 'My most recent foster carer will be in Italy'". The Guardian. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  27. ^ "Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly on 11 years in foster care". BBC Sport. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  28. ^ "Games played by Lloyd Kelly in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  29. ^ "Games played by Lloyd Kelly in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  30. ^ "Games played by Lloyd Kelly in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  31. ^ "Games played by Lloyd Kelly in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  32. ^ "Games played by Lloyd Kelly in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  33. ^ "Games played by Lloyd Kelly in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  34. ^ "Games played by Lloyd Kelly in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  35. ^ "Games played by Lloyd Kelly in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  36. ^ "Games played by Lloyd Kelly in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  37. ^ "L.Kelly". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  38. ^ "Football Manager EFL Team of the Season line-ups announced". www.efl.com. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  39. ^ "PFA Championship Team of the Year". Professional Footballers' Association. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
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  • Profile at the AFC Bournemouth website