Lloyd Kelly to Newcastle transfer and what comes next for Tottenham after missed opportunity

Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly will be playing his football at St James' Park next season with a move to Newcastle United on the verge of completion. Amid interest from Tottenham in his services, the 25-year-old has already agreed on a long-term contract with Eddie Howe's side that will commence from the start of July once his current deal at the Vitality Stadium expires at the end of this month.

Chronicle Live have reported that the former Bristol City man is now on Tyneside and will undergo his medical on Wednesday as well as go through the usual formalities in order to finalise his transfer. Kelly's switch to Newcastle does represent a missed opportunity for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham when it comes to signing an experienced left-sided defender on a free transfer.

Spurs are very much in the market for a new centre-back this summer as they look to add to the impressive trio of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin. The Lilywhites were left short in the position last term due to Van de Ven's injury and they need to ensure that is not the case this time around, especially with the addition of Europa League football to their schedule.

football.london reported on Monday that Stuttgart's Hiroki Ito and Murillo of Nottingham Forest are among a number of potential centre-back options they have scouted. However, Tottenham will only move for a defender once other positions further upfield have been addressed for Postecoglou.

Like Kelly, Ito is left-footed and can operate at both centre-back and left-back. The Japan international, who turned 25 last month, reportedly has a release clause of just under €30million (£25.3million) and would perhaps represent a shrewd acquisition for the Lilywhites due to his versatility.

Murillo, on the other hand, already has Premier League experience to his name after a fine debut season with Nottingham Forest. He may well cost considerably more than Ito's release clause, though, after moving to the City Ground for a fee of around £15million and going on to catch the eye in England's top flight.

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As Tottenham quite clearly have other priorities in the transfer market with a new striker and midfield reinforcements needed first and foremost, Kelly's impending move to Newcastle United could be viewed as a wasted opportunity for Spurs. After all, the Bristol-born player would have arrived on a free transfer and any money now put towards the addition of a new centre-back could have been utilised elsewhere.

Kelly would have been a very good option for Tottenham to have at both the heart of defence and also left-back due to his vast experience in both positions. Game time would have been there for him with eight Europa League group games on the agenda from September onwards as well as the opportunities that will arrive in the Premier League and the domestic cup competitions.

At the end of last summer's transfer window, Tottenham made a move for Kelly but their bid, which was reportedly around the £20million mark, was rejected by Bournemouth. Since then, other clubs such as Newcastle United, Juventus and Stuttgart have expressed their interest in signing the former England Under-21 international, with the left-sided player opting for St James' Park as his new home.

A move to the north east perhaps isn't that much of a surprise as Kelly will now link up with Howe and Jason Tindall once again following their time together at Bournemouth. Tosin Adarabioyo was another defender Tottenham had an interest in but he has now decided to make the short move from Fulham to Chelsea with his contract at Craven Cottage expiring at the end of June.

Other positions in the team are certainly higher up than centre-back in Tottenham's list of transfer priorities this summer but it is a role that most definitely has to be addressed. Now it is up to Johan Lange to bring in a centre-back, ideally ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League season kicking off, that can add even more quality to Postecoglou's squad.

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