Eddie Howe hails ‘great bit of business’ after Newcastle United trigger £28m deal

Newcastle’s visit to Stamford Bridge will be the first time Hall has came up against his former club since leaving last year. The 18-year-old spent the 2023-24 campaign on loan at St James’ Park before completing a permanent transfer in the summer after meeting the performance related criteria to trigger an initial £28million deal.

It was around this time last year when people began to question the signing of Hall due to his severe lack of game time. However, from March onwards, the left-back has established himself as a regular and according to head coach Eddie Howe has proven to be “a great bit of business”.

Howe explained: “I think the thing with Lewis when we were looking at the deal last year, was the lack of equal players in that position so we took a, I wouldn’t say a chance but an opportunity to sign a young player who we knew would be growing and developing into the player he was going to become.

“We wanted to grab that opportunity while we had it because we felt if we waited he’d possibly move beyond us. He took time to develop as all young players do. He was so young when he first came to us and it was his first time away [from home] but the growth in him towards the back end of last season and certainly the development in his game so far this season has been really strong and I’ve been really pleased with the way he’s played in the last few games.

“He’s adding layers to his game all the time, adding different strengths to his game and I can only see that improving so it’s a great bit of business for us.”

Meanwhile, Hall told NewcastleWorld earlier this summer: “You’ve obviously got this obligation clause which could be triggered for the price that it is and you’d look at it and go ‘you’re not playing, what’s going on?’ As a fan, you wouldn’t necessarily know what is going on inside.

“Obviously I was aware of that but my focus was to keep my head down and keep working hard and keep learning from everyone. I had a great set of coaches always helping me whether I was at my best or not to help me improve as a player and get me to know the style of play the team plays.

“As I got more games towards the end of the season it helped boost my confidence. Going into this season, it has given me confidence to show why Newcastle have bought me.”