85.9% pass success: Bournemouth could face interest from more than just Newcastle for this player

Bournemouth have secured promotion back to the Premier League but they’ll know that staying up next season could be a greater challenge still. 

The next few months and the business that the Cherries get done in that period will likely be key to their hopes of survival in 2022/23.

But it won’t just be which new players arrive, who they can keep hold of will be important as well.

One player that is already attracting attention is Lloyd Kelly, who has been ever-present in the heart of Bournemouth’s defence this season and helped them concede fewer goals than any other side in the second tier.

Football League World revealed in March that former Cherries boss Eddie Howe is keen on bringing Kelly to Newcastle United and has made him a high-priority transfer target this summer.

With the help of Wyscout, we’ve examined his numbers from the 2021/22 campaign to outline why there will be interest in him this summer.

Kelly has played more than 4000 minutes of football for Bournemouth this season – missing just five Championship games – and has been key in helping them concede the fewest goals and keep the most clean sheets in the division.

That at 23 he has worn the captain’s armband for the majority of the season speaks to his maturity, leadership qualities, and the faith that Scott Parker has in him.

The left-footed centre-back is not as physically imposing as many in the division but he has a fantastic footballing brain and that paired with his athletic attributes make him a real asset.

He picks the right times to challenge for the ball and more often than not is successful – as his 74% defensive duel success (from 4.64 duels per 90) and 67.8% aerial duel success (4.57 duels per 90) show.

His positioning allows him to regularly