The Lewis Hall Dilemma: Newcastle Risk Losing Star as Europe Slips Away
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| Lewis Hall emerges as Newcastle’s bright spot amid European struggles |
Newcastle’s push for Europe is faltering and Eddie Howe is under pressure. Lewis Hall’s impressive form has drawn interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, with his defensive stats among the best at St James’ Park.
Newcastle sit 14th with six games left and face an uphill battle for Europe. As rumours swirl around Eddie Howe’s future...
When all is said and done, this season hasn’t been the best for Newcastle United.
The writing was undoubtedly on the wall when Alexander Isak forced through a move to Liverpool, and both Yoane Wissa and, post-injury, Nick Woltemade proved not to be the answer to the Magpies' striker woes.
Newcastle's European Push Falters Amid Uncertainty
Newcastle are struggling to qualify for Europe.
Anthony Gordon’s goalscoring form in the Champions League, and his performances more generally, have been one of the few bright spots, but there’s been precious little else for the Geordie faithful to get truly excited about.
That strong rumours suggest Eddie Howe’s time as manager of the North East giants could soon be ending is telling.
With six games left in the Premier League season, Newcastle sit 14th in the table, 10 points off Liverpool in the final Champions League spot for next season, and five points behind Brentford in seventh, which would qualify for next season's Conference League.
Though qualifying for any European football next season will be difficult, it isn’t impossible, and with Howe always stressing the positives, the Magpies could still end 2025/26 with a late flourish.
Lewis Hall. @England international. 🦁🏴 pic.twitter.com/QjV2mSlIOX
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) November 14, 2024
Arguably, there’s an inherent need for them to do so, too.
Rivals Circle as Newcastle Stall Under Saudi Ownership
Clubs are circling for the Magpies' best players.
When the Saudi Public Investment Fund took over the club from Mike Ashley, the aim was to make Newcastle the most successful football club in the country.
While they’ve had their moments, with the Carabao Cup final win being one, the squad hasn’t really progressed as expected.
If they can't drag themselves into European contention in these final few matches, it leaves the door open for rivals to move for the club's best players.
One such star, whose performances continue to improve, is Lewis Hall.
Lewis Hall’s Rise Draws Attention Despite Long Newcastle Deal
So far this season, he's made 41 appearances under Howe, his most in a single campaign to date, highlighting his growing importance. A bigger role in the England senior squad has also done him no harm whatsoever.
His impressive form has certainly got several clubs interested in testing the waters for a possible transfer, though he's unlikely to come cheap. His current Newcastle contract runs until June 2029, so the club isn't under any immediate pressure to sell.
It's understood that tentative enquiries have come from one or two European teams, however the most serious interest is believed to have come from Chelsea and Arsenal.
The Blues could be ready to offload Marc Cucurella, who hinted at a possible Barcelona switch in a recent interview, while Mikel Arteta could well move Myles Lewis-Skelly on if there's the chance to bring Hall to the club.
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) April 12, 2026
Hall’s Defensive Numbers Put Him Among Newcastle’s Best
There are plenty of reasons clubs would be keen to sign the 21-year-old, too.
For a start, his tackle success rate of 58.7% is among the best in the Newcastle squad, and just four players have made more than his 79 clearances this season.
He has 42 interceptions, a total only bettered by Sandro Tonali and Malick Thiaw, while Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Thiaw are the four players to have made more than Hall’s 44 headed clearances.
Given that all four are centre-backs, that's only to be expected, with Hall the next best in the entire squad in this regard.
As impressive as this is the fact that Hall has won possession the second-most times in the squad at 199, with Tonali on 223 the only player to improve on Hall's figure.
It's that tenacity that's made him a firm favourite with the St James' Park faithful, and his 385 duels attempted is only three shy of Burn's 388, which no one in a black and white shirt can top.
Of those, Hall has won 224, giving him a success rate of 58.2%, behind only Thiaw among players who have contested 300 or more one-on-ones.
Hall is also a player who loves to get forward at every opportunity, and would therefore suit progressive attacking teams such as Arsenal and Chelsea.
His 80.1% pass completion is a strong return, with his 931 passes attempted this season the fourth-highest output in the squad.
He’ll need to improve on just six shots on target in 25/26 and a shot conversion rate of just 3.9% if he wants to be a success elsewhere, however.
His crossing, too, has been well below par in the current campaign, with only 13 finding a teammate, at 17.3%.
One can’t forget, of course, that he’s still effectively at the very beginning of his career, he’s already posting such decent numbers, and has years to improve upon them.
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