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Eddie Howe reveals crucial Newcastle United board decision with big transfer impact
EDDIE HOWE has praised the Newcastle United board for backing his decision to sign Lewis Hall a year-and-a-half ago, even though he did not feel the full-back was ready to make an immediate impact on the first team.
Hall joined Newcastle from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, with his initial loan move containing a clause that effectively committed the Magpies to a permanent deal worth around £30m.
The 20-year-old had to bide his time for much of last season, making just one league start before the start of April, but he broke into the first team in the final month of the campaign and has started ten of Newcastle’s 14 matches in all competitions so far this term.
His performances in the last two matches – Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win over Chelsea and this afternoon’s league win over Arsenal – have been excellent, more than justifying Howe’s decision to push for his signing.
And while the Magpies boss was always confident the youngster would be a success, he is delighted those above him had the foresight to back his judgement.
“We felt that if we didn’t grab the opportunity to take him when we did, we would possibly regret that in a year’s time,” explained Howe. “We would look round and not find a similar player of a similar level, with the potential that he had.
“I think there’s always a timing issues around transfers. Sometimes, you get the timing right, sometimes you can miss the opportunity when it arises.
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“Thankfully, we took it, and people above me, at board level, understood the thought process behind the signing. I think that was vitally important too.”
While Hall spent most of last season outside of the first team, he was putting in some crucial work at Newcastle’s Darsley Park training complex.
Howe personally oversaw his development, and has praised the defender’s maturity and attitude. While he might have been frustrated at his lack of playing time, Hall knew he was making improvements that would stand him in good stead in the future.
“I believe in development,” said the Newcastle boss. “It’s very, very difficult to sign young players, which Lewis was when we initially signed him, and then for them to come straight into your team.
“There was a big transfer fee attached to his name, and I think that was the issue for everybody, they wanted to see him straight away. We knew he had a bit of work to do to get to the level where we needed him to be.
“The challenge then for Lewis is to accept he’s come for a big transfer fee, but then actually do the work. I’ve seen players who haven’t responded well to that. To Lewis’ great credit, he got his head down and did the work.
“He worked incredibly hard, double sessions after training, a lot of review and analysis into how he was getting on. We had no doubt that he would step into the team and hopefully take his opportunities when they came.
“I thought he really grabbed it towards the end of last season, and he hasn’t looked back at the beginning of this. I still feel there’s more growth and development in his game, but I think he’s in a really good place and has started the season very well.”
