Fabrizio Romano gives verdict on Newcastle United’s 'transfer criteria' for £28m man

As the January transfer window approaches there is inevitably going to be plenty of speculation and opinion over who Newcastle United might look to sign.

But one of the great mysteries surrounding the club at the moment actually involves a player who is already at the club in Lewis Hall…

The 19-year-old left back made his Premier League breakthrough at Chelsea last season and was described by fans of the London club as one of the shining lights in an otherwise terrible season for the Blues.

This form prompted the interest of Newcastle United who agreed a season-long loan deal to sign the defender. The move also included an obligation to buy the player on a permanent basis for a fee of £28m, plus around £7m in add ons.

This deal seemed to be a formality and it was thought that Newcastle only signed the player on loan to avoid any precautions through FFP. Hall’s arrival attracted great excitement amongst the Newcastle faithful and many were keen to see the player in action after he admitted to being a fan of the club as a child.

However, the U21 international has struggled for minutes since completing the move to St James’ Park, despite an unprecedented injury crisis leading to the loss of several first team players.

Overall, Hall has managed to play just 70 minutes of football in three league appearances and was substituted off the field at half-time during his only start against Bournemouth.

Hall has been involved in just three cup games this season in both the League Cup and the Champions League and he was subbed off after 45 minutes in two of those appearances.

His best contribution in Black and White so far is a goal in a 3-0 victory over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup - the strike marked the first of his career as a senior footballer.

What has Eddie Howe said about Lewis Hall?

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe failed to confirm if Lewis Hall would remain with the club next season.

Howe revealed that the player has certain criteria which must be met for the deal to go ahead, but failed to shed any light on what the criteria might be.

He said: “You’re probably asking the wrong man, I’m not 100 per cent sure.”

Howe was asked directly if Hall would remain at Newcastle to which the club’s head of media replied: “We’ll come back to you.”

Fabrizio Romano comments

Lewis Hall’s lack of first team football has led to uncertainty over the player’s long term future at St James’ Park and prompted talk of an unlikely return to Chelsea.

Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano was able to shed some light on the situation during an interview with CaughtOffside

Romano said: “I can say that Newcastle don’t want to share this precise criteria in public but sources guarantee it’s not super difficult to reach.

“Let’s see in the next months what happens with Hall as the picture will become clearer with time. In my opinion, I don’t think Howe wanted to speak about the topic in a negative way; he just said the truth.”

Hall is one of the contenders to start against Fulham at left back and Tino Livramento is expected to move to right back in his absence.

However, Hall faces competition from the returning Dan Burn who is also pushing for a first start since his injury earlier in the season.