It is no secret that Chelsea have been having a bit of a clearout this summer. This transfer window has seen 13 permanent Stamford Bridge departures, not including loans and released players. Names as big as Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic have left the club. The biggest beneficiary on the surface appears to have been the Saudi Pro League. N’golo Kante, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly will be playing in the kingdom this season.
But there is an argument to be made that Newcastle United are actually the biggest winner in Chelsea’s aggressive post-spring cleaning. While not yet one of the permanent moves, Lewis Hall’s switch to St James’ Park will become one next summer. There is a £28 million obligation to buy built into the deal, with an additional £7 million in add-ons. This was reportedly implemented due to Financial Fair Play and, in effect, the transfer is a permanent one.
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It is a hefty price for an 18-year-old, but one the Magpies were happy to pay for a talent they have been pursuing all summer. When all is said and done, Hall’s signing could be the most prudent deal anyone has done with Chelsea this summer.
The majority of the players leaving west London have been allowed to do so with good reason. Kante has been an incredible servant to the club and at 33, a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia is understandable. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a year older and has never quite clicked since joining from Barcelona in 2022. Kovacic’s departure made way for British record signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion. Players like Mendy, Havertz and Christian Pulisic never hit the heights in blue.
Arguably, only Mount and Hall are players that Chelsea would have rather retained. The rest were part of a concerted effort to fund another bumper spending spree for the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital ownership regime. Mount’s reputation at Chelsea was well-established. A Champions League winner who had graduated from the club’s academy, the midfielder was viewed as a future captain. Mount and the club had danced around the signing of a new contract but ultimately, Chelsea had no choice but to sell him to Manchester United before the £55 million fee he commanded dwindled.
Hall is a different matter. While 24-year-old Mount brings the certainty of experience, the teenage defender has been signed on potential. He has just nine Premier League games to his name. However, his assured performances already had Chelsea fans purring in a season which offered little else. The club might have finished a pitiful 12th last season, but Hall offered a dim light in the enveloping dark.
While Stamford Bridge season ticket holders are sad to see the boy go, Newcastle are delighted to welcome Hall. The 2023 Chelsea Academy Player of the Year has been capped at every age group level for England. Hall represents what the Newcastle project is all about in many ways. The forgoing of off-the-rack superstars and implementation of a squad that can grow together in confidence and ability to achieve long-term goals.
The transfer serves as a handy micro look at the macro approaches of Chelsea and Newcastle. Both are operating under cash-rich, relatively new owners. The London side are spending like their lives depend on it, signing more footballers than most fans can count. They have broken the British transfer record this summer to land Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion. In short, they have done everything people expected the Magpies to do when they landed a Saudi windfall.
The idea Newcastle have gone about their business in a restrained fashion is a bit of a fallacy. They have spent £130 million this summer and in excess of £150 million over the course of last season. But what they haven’t done is emphasised ready-made superstars. The majority of their signings have either been underappreciated talent like Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman or highly-touted players approaching their prime, like 23-year-old pair Sandro Tonali and Alexander Isak. Hall is an even more potential-driven capture than the latter pair, with manager Eddie Howe keeping one eye firmly on the future.
These contrasting approaches saw Newcastle secure the top-four slot and Champions League qualification Chelsea usually treat like a birthright. Meanwhile, the west Londoners endured the sort of struggle weary Magpies fans knew well under their previous owner, Mike Ashley. With Chelsea approaching their transfer business in a similar way to last season, selling the family silver to secure as many deals as possible, it’ll be interesting to see if the balance remains tipped the way of St James’ Park.
Hall could be vital in maintaining that balance. Apparently the player was largely driven to move by the promise of more first team football. If he continues developing at the impressive rate he has been, Hall could become a valuable part of Newcastle’s continued rise. As Boehly continues to fire his scatter-gun, Howe’s sharp-shooting might win the battle for the precious Champions League places once more.
