Newcastle closing in on “unbelievable” 5 foot 10 gem, he’d be Howe’s own Reece James – opinion

Newcastle United are hoping to close on the final piece of the summer puzzle, with Eddie Howe’s side homing in on the signing of an exciting Premier League star.

What’s the latest on Lewis Hall to Newcastle?

According to Sky Sports, Newcastle are in advanced negotiations with Chelsea for the signing of talented youngster Lewis Hall, discussing a fee in the region of £30m.

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It was previously reported by the Evening Standard that the Blues had agreed a loan deal with Crystal Palace for the 18-year-old while offering Hall a bumper new contract with the club, but appear to have been swayed by the chance to recuperate a large sum for an academy graduate.

The Magpies have already signed Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento for the first team this summer, but Howe recently claimed that he would “love” one more signing, and it appears he has got his wish.

How good is Lewis Hall?

Praised for his “assured” age-belying presence on the ball by journalist Fentuo Tahira Fentuo, Hall stood out as a ruby among rubble last season as Chelsea foundered in an abysmal campaign, finishing 12th in the Premier League and looking just about as miserable a squad as can be.

He only played nine times in the Premier League but earned an average Sofascore rating of 7.01, completing 84% of his passes, averaging 1.2 shots and 1.7 key passes per game, and also making 2.7 tackles per outing.

According to BBC Sports’ Raj Chohan, the 5 foot 10 gem has an “unbelievable dribbling ability” and is a “top tier talent”, ranking among the top 16% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons and the top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref, to emphasise this point.

Also ranking among the top 5% for tackles and the top 10% for interceptions per 90, Hall could very well provide the Magpies with the perfect option to rival Dan Burn for a regular starting berth in the Toon team – indeed, Newcastle will play in the Champions League this term and could feasibly achieve silverware across four fronts.

Given Hall’s dynamism and aptitude across both offensive and defensive sides of the game, he could be moulded into Howe’s very own version of Chelsea’s Reece James, which would sting the Blues considering they are the ones granting his sale.

James, like Hall, is a graduate of the Cobham academy and has recently been appointed club captain after making 148 appearances, scoring 11 goals and providing 20 assists, winning the Champions League and earning praise for potential “beyond the sky” by former manager Graham Potter.

The all-encompassing defender ranks among the top 5% of positional peers for shot-creating actions and the top 8% for progressive passes and progressive carries per 90, highlighting his own ball-playing and carrying skills that set him within the top stratosphere of such talents.

Hall is right at the maiden stage of his career and he will continue to build the blocks together as he rises to prominence, and Chelsea might just rue his sale in the future as Newcastle nurture a prodigy to rival James in the Premier League.