Newcastle United are closing in on a deal to sign Lewis Hall from Chelsea, and Graham Potter has already explained why he is ready to have an immediate impact on Tyneside.
The Magpies have agreed to pay £28million for the 18-year-old, who is keen to make the move to the North East.
Chelsea have completely changed their stance on Hall and are now happy for the teenager to leave, which is music to the ears of Eddie Howe.
The Newcastle boss is getting the extra signing that he wanted, and it is a player who has a huge amount of potential. It is another young addition to the Toon squad, with Howe signing a player who could be at St James’ Park for the next 10 years.
That will be the hope, while Toon officials will also be keen for Hall to have a role this season. If or when he arrives, he will compete with Dan Burn and Matt Targett for a place in the starting XI.
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It will be difficult for a player with such little experience to force his way into the side, but comments from former Chelsea boss Potter suggest that Hall is ready to go at senior level.
What Graham Potter said about Lewis Hall last year
Hall made 11 appearances for Chelsea last season, with his first coming in the Carabao Cup away to Manchester City back in November 2022.
The left-back played brilliantly at the Etihad, and received a huge amount of praise from Potter.
“Fantastic,” he said.
“From a young player willing to attack. He took responsibility on the ball. Took it in tight situations. Drove with the ball when he could. It was a really impressive performance.
“He’s been training with us. He hasn’t been out of place when he’s trained with us.”
Potter added: “He’s got a nice future. He’s a young player. We need to look after him.”
Newcastle are getting a talented youngster with a ‘nice future’
Based on Potter’s comments, it sounds like Hall is an extremely confident player for someone so young. He was willing to be positive in possession, taking responsibility despite only being 18.
That will be really encouraging for Howe, as it will give him the confidence that he can use Hall this season during what is going to be a very busy and gruelling campaign.
It is great to see young player express themselves and play with confidence. We have already seen that with Lewis Miley, who refused to shy away during pre-season when he was surrounded by multi-million pound players.
Hall is about to become one of those multi-million pound players, but he is also a youngster with limited experience. But it sounds like he has the right personality and attitude to succeed in black and white, and it will be exciting to see what he is capable of this season.
The overall goal will be for him to be a star of the future, but if he impresses as soon as he arrives then it will be an added bonus.