Newcastle United have made four senior signings this summer, one of which was largely down to the efforts of Mehrdad Ghodoussi.
The Magpies have had a busy but efficient summer, bringing in Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall – and it is the latter deal that Newcastle fans can thank Ghodoussi for.
Eddie Howe wanted to sign a left-back this summer, and he has got one in the shape of Hall. The 18-year-old has arrived on a season-long loan from Chelsea, with the deal set to become permanent next summer providing certain terms are met.
The terms of the obligation to buy are seemingly easy to achieve, so it is all but certain that Newcastle will sign Hall permanently next summer for £28million.
With finances stretched, Newcastle needed to get creative in the transfer market. This was a very clever deal by the Magpies, and it was orchestrated by Ghodoussi.
Mehrdad Ghodoussi brought Lewis Hall to Newcastle
According to the Telegraph, the deal to bring Hall to Newcastle was negotiated by Ghodoussi, who held talks with Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali. The report states that the pair socialise together in London, and were able to agree on a deal – a deal that angered some people behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.
But Chelsea’s loss is Newcastle’s gain, and there is hope that Hall can develop into a star on Tyneside. He is a player with a lot of potential, which is why the Magpies have invested so much money into him.
The defender is yet to make his Toon debut, having failed to make the squad for the Liverpool game last time out. After the match, Howe stated that Hall was not fit enough to play a competitive game for Newcastle.
That is no surprise given how little he played over the summer and how physically demanding Howe is. Hall will be fit – jut not fit enough to play for an Eddie Howe team just yet.
But Hall’s time will come, and a huge amount of credit will go to Ghodoussi when he begins to thrive in black and white.
He was the mastermind behind this deal, and put his friendship with the Chelsea chief to good use.
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