A move for Lewis Hall has seemingly coming out of nowhere for Newcastle United.
Chelsea wanted the defender to sign a new contract at the club even despite their vast array of sales this summer but, still, Newcastle move.
Hall is believed to be close to joining the club he supported as a boy for £28m as Eddie Howe gets a new option at left-back, strengthening behind Dan Burn.
Clearly, the 18-year-old has a lot to learn but Howe has precedent in yielding improvements out of players. With Burn to learn from and an increased schedule offering more game time this season, these are exciting times for Hall.
talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, however, cannot believe what he’s hearing.
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Simon Jordan surprised by Newcastle’s move for Lewis Hall
Indeed, Jordan was discussing the move on the radio on Thursday.
When told about the move by reporter Alex Crook, the former Crystal Palace owner admitted his surprise that Chelsea would willingly sell Hall – a player described as “magnificent” by pundit Micah Richards for his performance against Manchester City last season – to a rival.
“I’m surprised that Chelsea would want to be facilitating any solutions to Newcastle’s particular questions but that’s the reality of commercial business,” he told White and Jordan at 11.40am on 17/08/2023.
Another opportunistic signing from Newcastle
While the bulk of Newcastle’s transfer business since the takeover has seemingly been based off a coherent strategy, they aren’t afraid to make a move when the right player emerges.
They didn’t necessarily plan to sign Tino Livramento this summer but swooped when he became available and the same could easily be said of Hall given the fact Chelsea initially wanted to keep him.
Being able to make such decisions is a luxury. With Chelsea spending big once more, it seems Newcastle have pounced as a result.