Can you hear it, the din from the summer transfer window? Newcastle United’s tumultuous market has been placed in the background, now, and Eddie Howe must be delighted that he can crack on and write another chapter into this wonderful story.
But there’s no denying the events of recent months have taken a toll on the Tyneside outfit, who have started their Premier League campaign with just two points from three games, losing that ridiculous clash against Liverpool and blanking in stalemates against Aston Villa and Leeds United.
Still, United are organised and efficient, and having signed forwards such as Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa among a host of other signings, there is hope that the disappointing departure of Alexander Isak can be offset and that targets might still be hit.
But it hasn’t all been sunshines and rainbows. Isak is bound to carry his prolific nature over to Anfield, but perhaps more frustrating is the recent success of Elliot Anderson, who was sold to Nottingham Forest over a year ago to ease the strain of PSR regulations.
Why Newcastle sold Elliot Anderson
The way Isak forced his way out of Howe’s Newcastle will sting for many years. Never again will the Sweden striker receive the ball at St. James’ Park without being the recipient of a venomous chorus of boos.
But Anderson was one of the club’s own, homegrown and sold for pure profit to avoid financial ramifications. His success with Nottingham Forest over the past two years has been quite a thing, and his recent performances for the Three Lions have underscored his value.
Newcastle sold the centre-midfielder to the Tricky Trees for around £35m in 2024, but he has since become something more, hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson as a “do-it-all midfield warrior” and regarded in the Premier League as one of the driving forces of Nuno Espirito Santo’s success last season.
The 22-year-old could have been something special for Newcastle, and now serves as a reminder to keep onto those top talents who show such promise but perhaps aren’t yet equipped to maintain the consistency of their more experienced peers.
Take, for example, Anderson’s countryman Lewis Hall, who has lulled of late but remains one of the most exciting up-and-comers within the Premier League scene.
Newcastle have struck gold on Lewis Hall
Hall has spent more time than he would have liked in 2025 in the infirmary, with the full-back’s fitness problems taking away from him the building noise after an emphatic start to life at Newcastle.
It was not that long ago that Toon reporter Dominic Scurr declared Hall to be “the best left-back in the country, bar none.”
Likewise, talent scout Jacek Kulig called the 21-year-old “one of the best left-backs in the Premier League” in December 2024, with Hall firing on all cylinders and instrumental in building the form that would lead United back toward the gates of the Champions League and the Carabao Cup title.
But injury struck in the days before that Wembley meeting with Liverpool, and Hall would be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.
Matches (starts)
18 (8)
27 (24)
Goals
1
0
Assists
0
4
Touches*
39.2
70.6
Pass completion
83%
85%
Key passes*
0.2
1.3
Dribble success
55%
61%
Ball recoveries*
3.1
4.4
Tackles*
1.6
2.1
Interceptions*
0.7
0.7
Clearances*
0.9
1.9
Duels (won)*
2.9 (53%)
4.4 (54%)
Hall has also featured twice in the Premier League this season, but both times as a substitute and for a total of 43 minutes as he gets back up to speed. He will hope to reclaim his starting berth in the weeks to come, and on the basis of the evidence, his improvements last season suggest Howe will soon deploy him from the opening again.
Data-led platform FBref reveal Hall to rank among the top 12% of positional peers in the Premier League last year for passes attempted, the top 15% for assists and the top 20% for shot-creating actions and progressive passes per 90, so it’s clear that his technical quality is crucial to erecting the build-up patterns that define Howe’s transitional approach.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 metres closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
It’s also clear that this ball-playing skill aligns with the methods of some of England’s finest. Indeed, Caught Offside revealed in the months preceding the summer transfer window that Liverpool and Manchester City had both registered their interest in the young England international, who Newcastle valued at a floor of £60m.
Of course, this puts Hall above a former Toon talent such as Anderson, who left for £35m and has since seen a market growth toward the ballpark of £45m, as per Football Transfers.
The aforementioned Premier League giants both signed left-backs this summer, which perhaps signals the strength of Newcastle’s response when Hall’s name was discussed in negotiations.
Hall is a defender who can do it all. After all, he played most regularly as a robust central midfielder during his younger days, since refashioned into a wide defender. Perhaps there is a future for him in the middle of the park, where he might rival players such as Anderson for a prominent role in England’s national squad.
Newcastle might have entered something of a transitional campaign, but Howe will remain steadfast in his belief that last year’s success can be used to prop up the riches still to come at St. James’ Park.
In any case, with such exciting talents as Hall set to star for years to come, there’s every reason for excitement.
