LLOYD Kelly has entered the final 12 months of his deal at Vitality Stadium, naturally leading to speculation over his future.

Cherries keep contract negotiations firmly under wraps, as evidenced by the news last week that Philip Billing had signed a new deal with little notice.

Just as when Jaidon Anthony agreed fresh terms last season attention moved to Jordan Zemura and his expiring contract, focus now switches to Ryan Christie and Kelly as they enter the final year of their current terms with Cherries.

Of course, there is the possibility Cherries might look to cash in on the 24-year-old in order to bring in further additions, but that seems unlikely with Kelly able to feature at left-back and centre-half and the fact he is highly-valued by the club.

There have been no rumours or links to a move away, classic tactics deployed by agents looking to strengthen their clients’ position in talks, no agitating for a move this window on Kelly’s part.

But if you were Lloyd Kelly, would you want to sign a new deal and commit to Cherries?

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His inclusion against Spurs at the expense of Marcos Senesi provoked panic and questioning on social media from Cherries fans, as well as discussion in the comments sections of multiple articles on the Daily Echo website.

Dwelling too long on the ball is recipe for groans at any ground, but it always feels like Kelly has a few seconds fewer than others before he is met by shouts of displeasure.

The players have definitely taken note of this, Billing insisting that he speak to the ensembled press after Cherries’ dismal FA Cup defeat to Burnley in January to launch a defence of his then captain Kelly.

Of course, football is a game filled with many opinions, and there were some sections of the fanbase that shared their positive thoughts on Kelly’s performance against Tottenham.

It may just be a case of a vocal minority, but there has been a consistent grumbling about Kelly for some time now, and a quick scroll through the timeline on Twitter after Saturday’s defeat shows it is not going away any time soon.

As demonstrated by that fact that Iraola is willing to play him for 90 minutes with little to no pre-season, Kelly is clearly rated by the new management.

Since being brought to the club in 2019 by Eddie Howe, that is now six separate managers, all with their different ideas of how to play, who believe in Kelly’s ability.

But there is one manager in particular that most fans closely link Kelly to – Scott Parker.

Perhaps that close connection sours certain fans’ thoughts on Kelly.

In some supporters’ minds, Kelly is a representation of the stagnant football played by Parker that never really captured the imagination, or won fans over, despite the success of achieving promotion.

Frequently the defender served as an unorthodox playmaker, seeing a lot of possession as the ball shuffled along the backline, as well as being tasked to supply diagonal balls to move Cherries up the pitch.

He was integral to Parker’s plan, and the former England midfielder clearly enjoyed working with Kelly.

The fact that Kelly was picked as Parker’s captain again strengthens the association between player and former manager.

At 22, he was the youngest bearer of the captain’s armband in the Championship in the 2021-22 season and had big shoes to fill after inheriting the captaincy from club legend Steve Cook.

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Softly spoken and described as introverted by coaches at first club Bristol City, Kelly assumed responsibility after defeats during Cherries’ bumpy end to their promotion campaign, fronting up to the media as part of his duties as captain.

Gary O’Neil’s decision to strip Kelly of the captaincy in February never felt pointed at the defender, but rather a common-sense move in installing the move experienced Neto who could united the dressing room with his ability to speak multiple languages.

However, it was telling that Kelly was not bumped down to vice-captain, but seemingly removed from the pecking order entirely as Adam Smith remained deputy.

Although naturally disappointed by the decision, Kelly did not kick up a fuss and continued his recovery from injury.

Even aside from the fans’ opinion of Kelly and his demotion from captain, it has not been plain sailing for the Bristolian at Vitality Stadium.

Throughout his career in red and black the defender has suffered numerous injuries, stifling precious years of development.

His entire first season was practically a wash after a knee ligament injury sustained in pre-season morphed into a thigh issue just weeks after his return.

Kelly was granted leave by the club to allow the youngster to process the series of issues that had hampered his £13million move to the Premier League.

If not for the COVID-enforced delay to end of the 2019-20 season, we might not have seen Kelly make his top-flight debut until Cherries earned promotion two campaigns later.

And even when gametime has been more consistent, his position has not, dependent on the manager.

It is a question that has followed Kelly since his days in the academy at Bristol City – what is his best position?

He has the physical tools, which he uses well, to operate at centre-back, his dominating frame coming in at 6ft 4in.

But he has the technical ability to operate as a full-back, and was deployed there by Jason Tindall and Jonathan Woodgate.

Yet when he plays at centre-back there is further variation – as Parker shifted towards a three-man central defence to start life back in the Premier League, Kelly was deployed furthest on the left, a role his former boss at Bristol City, Lee Johnson, believes suits him the best.

It is early days under Iraola, who has used him as a centre-back in his two appearances so far this season.

In the Spaniard’s words, he feels Kelly “has the body to play at centre-back, but he has also the legs to play as left back.”

That versatility is another reason why Cherries will not want to lose Kelly, with the club believing in both his ability and further potential.

Stripped of the captaincy, not guaranteed play time nor a consistent position in the side, and scapegoated by loud sections of the fanbase – all things considered, it feels that perhaps a fresh start could be best for Kelly.

(Pictures: Richard Crease and Stuart Martin)