Lewis Hall put pen to paper on a new five-year contract at Newcastle United ahead of tonight’s clash with Leeds United.
Lewis Hall has suggested that a new lease of life under Matthias Jaissle persuaded him to extend his Newcastle United contract.
The 22-year-old put pen to paper on Friday, signing a five-year contract to kill the Manchester United speculation. Hall is viewed by the Magpies as a key cog in the Jaissle rebuild.
While Newcastle underperformed last season, Hall was arguably the standout star alongside former captain Bruno Guimaraes. His best days are firmly ahead of him and he has committed them to St James’ Park.
Lewis Hall on Matthias Jaissle
Speaking to the club website, Hall discussed Jaissle’s impact since arriving at the start of last month. He said: “I wasn't sure what it was going to be like but I have to say, ever since he's come in, the messages have been clearer in terms of what he wants as a team. I think he's been amazing.
“Obviously, I can only speak on behalf of myself and what I feel but I'm sure a lot of the other lads feel the same. I've seen a lot of change in some players as well. I think it's positive change because sometimes when there's a new manager, new change, everything's fresh.
“Everyone feels like they're on a level playing field again. The energy and the vibe that the manager has created now is incredible, especially in that short space of time. I feel like it's only going to get better from here. I do really believe that we're going to do good things this year.”
Lewis Hall doubled down
Hall reiterated that conversations with Jaissle helped sway his mind that Newcastle is the place to be. He added: “It's been in talks for a while. Obviously, there's never been a moment in my head where I doubted how much I love being here and love playing for Newcastle because it means so much.
“Being able to play at St James' every week is obviously a massive thing for me. I never really take it for granted. Every time I step on the pitch, I want to do my best.
I want to do well for the football club, for the city, for the community and everything.
“As soon as the manager came in, he spoke to me and said how much he valued me and how much he appreciated what I did and the ambitions we have as a team. I'd say I'm quite an ambitious person.
“There's things that I always want to achieve, always want to do. As soon as I spoke to him, I saw his way of coaching, his way of playing. I knew that this was going to be a good place for me to play football, to help improve me as a player individually.
“But also, I knew that he was going to get the best out of other players in the team. I think we've seen that already with the way some people have performed this season. The manager has come in and said how ambitious we want to be and said what we want to achieve. I'm fully on board with that, so I have no reason to not want to sign a new group.”
‘I think he’s…’ - Lewis Hall honest about Matthias Jaissle managing Newcastle United