For all the negatives surrounding Newcastle United as of late - and rightly so - Lewis Hall has been a rare bright spark. The left-back has become one of Eddie Howe's most important players and staked his claim for a starting place for England at the same time.
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For 90 minutes at St James' Park, Hall secured the rare achievement of keeping early Ballon d'Or candidate Lamine Yamal quiet in open play. It wasn't until the Spaniard was lining up from 12 yards that he made his mark from the penalty spot at the death - though it was Malick Thiaw who took the blame for that.
If the Magpies can find a repeat of Hall this summer, then their recruitment will finally begin to head in the right direction.
Newcastle looking to sign Hall 2.0
There's a long list of Chelsea regrets and Hall is slowly beginning to creep up that list. The 21-year-old is one of the best fullbacks that the Premier League has to offer these days, even if Newcastle's campaign hasn't reflected that, and he's likely to play a starring role at the 2026 World Cup.
25/26 Stats per 90 Hall Timber Cucurella
Minutes 1,752 2,457 2,080
Tackles 2.36 2.42 1.9
Assists 0.05 0.18 0.13
Recoveries 5.7 3.55 3.89
Duel Success 57% 57.2% 52.7%
Chances Created 1.03 0.99 1.34
It speaks volumes that Hall has outperformed both Jurrien Timber and Marc Cucurella in some all-important areas this season. Even Newcastle may not realise the calibre of player that they have on their hands at this stage.
He remains one of the best signings of the PIF era, which has also featured some players to forget so far, and should be the prime example for the Magpies to base their recruitment on.
Chelsea's Malo Gusto in action with Newcastle United's Lewis Hall
Do that and one player could stand out. According to Buli News in Germany, Newcastle have now held talks to sign Karim Coulibaly from Werder Bremen.
The Bundesliga side are said to be willing to accept offers of around £39m this summer. The versatile centre-back, just 18 years old, holds similar potential to Hall but the Toon face competition from the likes of Chelsea and Marseille for Coulibaly's signature.
Why Coulibaly could be another Hall
As much as this current Newcastle side is in need of some major surgery in the coming months, they should not neglect players who could become mainstays for years to come. And Coulibaly is exactly that.
The teenager has already become a key man for Werder Bremen, starting 20 games in the Bundesliga this season and pushing them seven points clear of the dropzone.
Of course, it wasn't so long ago that Hall arrived as a player with plenty of potential. Now, he's pocketing players like Yamal at St James' Park. To say that he was worth the patience would be a major understatement.
Newcastle United's Lewis Hall in action with FC Barcelona's Ronald Araujo and Lamine Yamal
Now, Newcastle would be wise to welcome a similar talent in Coulibaly, who is arguably more ready for first-team action than Hall when he made just nine Premier League appearances for Chelsea.
League Stats at 18 Hall Coulibaly
Minutes 658 1,762
Tackles 23 23
Recoveries 48 56
Duel Success 59.8% 49.3%
Touches 569 1,468
It's rare for an 18-year-old centre-back to already hold a season's-worth of experience, but Coulibaly has enjoyed exactly that at Werder Bremen. He is already further ahead in his development than Hall was at Chelsea and would be the long-term partner for Thiaw that Newcastle need.
He may be young, but he's already being mentioned in the same breath as Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi; one of the finest up and coming defenders out there.
A further boon, is that like Hall, the German can also step into defensive midfield, killing two birds with one stone, and would certainly be value for any potential large fee as a result.
All signs are pointing towards a young centre-back destined for bigger things. Whether it's Newcastle who take full advantage is the big question.
They've got their recruitment wrong far too many times in the last 12 months and have an incredibly important summer ahead. The focus will be on those who can make an instant impact, but there's no denying that Coulibaly is becoming difficult to ignore in the Bundesliga.
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