England's Lewis Hall

[La Parka]

Seeing my conspiracy theory is now getting traction.

 

Interesting. 

[Solitude20]

1 hour ago, aussiemag said:

I would assume with our FFP issues, there are doubts he is worth 30 mill and it could be better spent elsewhere. I raised this months ago.  

I think that’s possible. There could be nothing against Hall, it’s just the circumstances have shown we would be better off spending 30 millions on players who can improve us now rather then spending it on developing a future left back. 
 

The injury crisis and overall results may have changed their mind about the priorities at the moment, and that’s understandable. 

[RobsonsWonderland]

Sometimes it's just fate how you break through.

 

Burn gets injured, it would have been  Targett stepping in.

Targett got injured, Hall could have stepped in.

But then Tino had a run of man of the match performances and now the door is blocked.

 

We could have rested either fullback to give him game time but to be honest there was no easy game to select.

 

If he had played in front of Tino or Tripps and we lost the board would have been up in uproar.

[wormy]

I try to avoid getting all armchair psychologist but I will say it's a very short answer. I guess the reporter specifically said it was a direct question relating to the obligation clauses but it did still surprise me with how effusive Howe can be that he didn't throw a single platitude in. 

 

Obviously none of us know either way. Still wouldn't be surprised to see him at the club permanently next season and I'm entirely behind it if the club are. Still don't think he looked particularly below standard in any of his appearances, but I can't even win a football match on FM anymore let alone real life. I guess he's not doing something as expected if Howe's hooked him at half time three times.

[mighty__mag]

His favoured position is midfield, Chelsea used him at fullback as he can operate multiple positions, thus was a big choice in taking him, and being able to operate in various roles.

As a few have pointed out, he could have come on during this injury crisis and filled multiple roles, at LB he'll now go behind both Livra and Burn, in midfield he hasn't come here and got on ahead of Miley, Ritchie has featured ahead of him at times.

 

Just feel the deal isn't as cut and dry as originally made out, you just sense maybe things have changed.

 

[OverThere]

I'd like to see him in the MF and see how that goes 

[Smal]

 

I know all this footage comes from him playing LB but he definitely has the profile of a player who would be suited to our left sided central midfield role as well - interacting with the LW and LB to make overlapping/underlapping runs to the byline for crosses. 

[TBG]

Might be feeling the pressure of following in the footsteps of his namesake and former Newcastle United defender, Fitz Hall. 

[Smal]

for what it's worth, like

[Lush Vlad]

I think he’ll start playing soon. Gordon injured/carrying a niggle. Barnes not back for a couple of months. Almiron not really contributing when it matters. 
 

I would expect him to get some minutes wide left or maybe even midfield in the next few games. Hopefully, he gets more than a half to impress this time and he then becomes a genuine option. 
 

Might be wishful thinking, mind. He’s barely even played as a last resort during this injury crisis. 

[SUPERTOON]

2 minutes ago, Lush Vlad said:

I think he’ll start playing soon. Gordon injured/carrying a niggle. Barnes not back for a couple of months. Almiron not really contributing when it matters. 
 

I would expect him to get some minutes wide left or maybe even midfield in the next few games. Hopefully, he gets more than a half to impress this time and he then becomes a genuine option. 
 

Might be wishful thinking, mind. He’s barely even played as a last resort during this injury crisis. 

Ritchie seems to be ahead of him in the forward positions.

[Lush Vlad]

If that continues to be the case. Then it’s pretty damning and would end up being a waste of money should the deal become permanent. 

[Menace]

When was the last time Ryder got anything right/broke an exclusive 

[kocunar]

25 minutes ago, Smal said:

for what it's worth, like

I just think we are playing it smartly and keeping our options open. No need to play Hall 5 minutes a game if it makes the buyout permanent even if we do intend to exercise the option. 

 

Lot can change between now and summer, and we might need that money for a more immediate signing if one our main players gets heavily injured. 

[Upthemags]

4 hours ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

Only a tiny shit stir, but on a recent player Q&A thing they were asked who arrives to training last and one of them said Hall, the other two said Willock ("although to be fair that's because he's injured")

 

 

 

This makes me think even Hall himself knows he's not going to be back at the club next season.

 

Looks more and more like Hall on loan was a harmless gamble that he might blow us away as an immediate fixture in the starting XI, in which case buy him next summer. Worst case, we fronted a small loan fee for a player who wasn't ready to help right away due to his age. I really think Eddie deciding not to pick up the option says less about Hall and more about us - Eddie knows we need 26 year olds, not 18 year olds, regardless of how good those 18 year olds will likely be one day.

[Smal]

I really don’t think we brought in an 18 year old thinking he’d immediately make an impact on the first team tbh. We probably thought he’d get more minutes but I don’t think we’ll see the best of Hall for at least another couple of years.

[Upthemags]

Just now, Smal said:

I really don’t think we brought in an 18 year old thinking he’d immediately make an impact on the first team tbh. We probably thought he’d get more minutes but I don’t think we’ll see the best of Hall for at least another couple of years.

I think Eddie and Dan probably thought it would be unlikely that he would make an immediate impact, but that it was a harmless gamble with only upside. If he indeed made an immediate impact, we buy him in the summer for a bargain fee, worst case he sits on the bench for whatever the loan fee was.

[geordie_b]

2 hours ago, Upthemags said:

I think Eddie and Dan probably thought it would be unlikely that he would make an immediate impact, but that it was a harmless gamble with only upside. If he indeed made an immediate impact, we buy him in the summer for a bargain fee, worst case he sits on the bench for whatever the loan fee was.

 

£28m would never be considered a bargain fee imo

[r0cafella]

7 hours ago, geordie_b said:

 

£28m would never be considered a bargain fee imo

It’s a bargain if he goes on to establish himself in the first team. But of course, we can’t judge this for a few years. 

[ohmelads]

I was very happy with the signing, and I'd be disappointed if this is the situation because he looks like a huge talent, but at this point I'm doubtful that he'll sign permanently. Just a theory, but it could be that all the injuries and Tonali ban have forced a rethink. It may not be about how he's playing in training but rather the bigger picture this season. If we've decided we're not going to sign him in summer, that frees up the £28m fee to be spent elsewhere in January, strengthening the team in other areas. We'd either send him back in January or keep his minutes below the threshold. 

 

We do already have two left backs in Burn and Targett, plus Dummett as emergency cover. Short term thinking perhaps, but our two big summer signings Barnes and Tonali have barely played and we're stretched by injuries in other areas. They might also see an opportunity for another player and need the cash now, or at a guess they might have decided he's not the long term answer. 

 

We can only speculate, but it seems clear to me we are keeping his minutes down deliberately due to his loan terms. If he was permanently our player I have no doubt we'd have used him more to alleviate the worsening injury crisis. 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by ohmelads

[Gallowgate Toon]

Howe was pretty complimentary about him in a follow up question later on in the presser. Noted again about his technique but that the defensive side of being a left back is new to him.

 

Coupled with Howe talking in the same presser about how there's barely been any training time between games and I think you start to see why he's reluctant to chuck him in.

[The Prophet]

It melts my brain there is so much fretting over this transfer.

[High Five o]

What if the deal is made permanent as soon as a certain amount of matches Hall has been involved in.

Then we got shit loads of injuries, and the Hall deal was due to be triggered in January due to matches played.

 

We need the room to invest in other players in January, and are not playing Hall enough before after the winter window so the permanent deal is triggered in the summer.

 

Might be a stupid take, but the only that makes any sort of sense.

[Dan Gleebals]

16 hours ago, Upthemags said:

This makes me think even Hall himself knows he's not going to be back at the club next season.

 

Looks more and more like Hall on loan was a harmless gamble that he might blow us away as an immediate fixture in the starting XI, in which case buy him next summer. Worst case, we fronted a small loan fee for a player who wasn't ready to help right away due to his age. I really think Eddie deciding not to pick up the option says less about Hall and more about us - Eddie knows we need 26 year olds, not 18 year olds, regardless of how good those 18 year olds will likely be one day.

 

He has proved with Miley he will trust, and play young players. Not that he had much choice.

[Groundhog63]

29 minutes ago, High Five o said:

What if the deal is made permanent as soon as a certain amount of matches Hall has been involved in.

Then we got shit loads of injuries, and the Hall deal was due to be triggered in January due to matches played.

 

We need the room to invest in other players in January, and are not playing Hall enough before after the winter window so the permanent deal is triggered in the summer.

 

Might be a stupid take, but the only that makes any sort of sense.

I'll go with this.