Lewis Hall joined Chelsea as an eight-year-old.placeholder image
Lewis Hall joined Chelsea as an eight-year-old. | Getty Images, Chelsea FC
Lewis Hall has developed into one of the Premier League’s best left-backs since leaving Chelsea in 2023.
Lewis Hall ditched Chelsea for Newcastle United due to the direction his former club was heading in.
The left-back was just days away from turning 19 when he made the monumental decision to join the Magpies. It was a big risk for Hall, who broke through the Chelsea ranks the previous season.
Despite having just nine Premier League appearances, Newcastle splashed out £28million to sign the England youth international. With his family lifelong Toon fans and hailing from the region, the Magpies held an ace up their sleeve at the negotiating table.
Lewis Hall’s rise at Newcastle United
Eddie Howe faced probing questions during Hall’s debut campaign as, despite a crippling injury crisis, he remained largely an outsider. He was infamously hooked at half-time during early defeats to Bournemouth and Borussia Dortmund.
However, a period of adaptability saw Newcastle take a prudent approach - a move that is now paying dividends. Hall began to show his towards the back end of his first season and, in truth, has never looked back since.
The now 21-year-old has arguably been Newcastle’s best player this season and boasts two senior England caps to his name. Fans are now calling for Thomas Tuchel to give Hall a starting role at this summer’s World Cup.
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Why Lewis Hall left Chelsea
Speaking in December, Hall opened up about why he felt the need to leave Chelsea. A chaotic summer saw the Blues spend over £400million under Todd Boehly’s ownership.
Sensing his pathway to first-team football being blocked, Hall headed to the North East to start a new journey. He said: "The club (Chelsea) was unbelievable for me, but I think I left at the perfect time. The direction that this club wants to go in, how everything was unfolding at Chelsea at the time, it was the right time for me to come here.
"The way Chelsea wanted to go forward with lots and lots of young talent, it was best for my career that I made this move and I think it has panned out really well for me. Obviously, having family connections to Newcastle was a really big factor.
“But everything footballing-wise had to be right as well. I really believed in it at the time and I think it's worked out perfectly. I've achieved a lot of things which I don't think I would have been able to achieve if I would have stayed there. But Chelsea has played a massive part in helping me to be that player who got the move in the first place and I'm always grateful for that.”
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