Lewis Hall is likely to become Newcastle United’s first permanent summer acquisition when his Chelsea buy-out clause is activated.
Lewis Hall’s loan move from Chelsea to Newcastle United is scheduled to be permanent for £28 million this summer.
The 19-year-old spent the full 2023-24 season on loan at Newcastle, triggering a performance-based obligation to buy clause. The amount United will pay will be a club record for a teenager, surpassing the £8.5 million paid to Sporting CP for Hugo Viana in 2002.
Despite a rocky start to his loan term, Hall finished the 2023-24 season strongly for Newcastle, becoming a regular starter in the final weeks of the season. Hall scored his first Premier League goal in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, having previously scored there in a 3-0 Carabao Cup victory in November.
Reflecting on his loan term, Hall wrote on social media: “A season of great lessons and experiences for which I’ll be eternally thankful. Thank you, Geordies, for your ongoing support ⚫️⚪️.”
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe started Hall in only one of his team’s first 29 Premier League games in 2023-24. However, after a lot of work on the training ground, Hall established himself as a key player at left-back moving into the summer.
And the Newcastle manager views Hall as a long-term player at St James’ Park before his official arrival.
“I think for any player when you come to a new club, especially for someone so young, it’s natural there will be a settling in period and adjustment, not just in terms of the training but in terms of his life, how he feels, how comfortable he feels,” said Howe.
“There is always a process to go through; you don’t just arrive here…” Even Bruno [Guimaraes] did not arrive here and start playing right away; he had to acclimate, and many people forget that.
“I believe he did exceptionally well to commit and be consistent in his efforts, despite the fact that he was undoubtedly unhappy that things were not going as quickly as he would like.
“But I think that’s the same for any player, he did really well at Old Trafford and showed a lot of maturity for someone so young and I’m delighted with where his game is at, at the moment.”
Leave a Reply