LEWIS HALL says it was a “no-brainer” to snub Manchester United’s interest after hearing Matthias Jaissle’s vision for Newcastle.
Though the left-back will only stick around for “a long time” if the club achieve their ambitions.
Lewis Hall says Matthias Jaissle helped convince him to commit his future to Newcastle Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
The star’s early season form has earned him an England recall Credit: Getty
Hall, 22, endured a poor end to last term after being played out of position on the right by Eddie Howe and that drop in form led to him missing out on the World Cup.
The star then saw Toon sell top stars Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon over the summer while the club knocked back an approach from the Red Devils for him.
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However, after speaking with Newcastle’s new 38-year-old German head coach Jaissle, he penned a new deal until 2031 to become one of the club’s top earners.
Hall, whose form has led to an England recall last week, admits he was flattered by United’s interest but claims he was unaffected by it all.
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He said: “No, honestly, it didn’t [affect me]. I guess whenever you’re linked to another team, you know that you’re doing something right. I guess it’s just a credit to your own performances and how you are as a player, how you are as a person.
“I took that as a positive, but at the same time, I knew how much I love playing here and I knew that since the manager came in, I knew the ambitions and what we wanted to achieve.
“After not many conversations, not many training sessions, I knew that the manager was going to be really good for this club and I knew that as a team, bringing in new players and improving the squad was really important and as soon as we did that, it was a no-brainer really to sign.”
Due to the financial handcuffs of the Premier League’s new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules, the Mags admit that player trading will be a key part of them reaching CEO David Hopkinson’s 2030 ambition to be challenging the world’s best for top honours.
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United are also expected to come back in for Hall next year as they search for Luke Shaw’s long-term successor.
But boyhood Newcastle-fan Hall says he expects to stay long-term on Tyneside as long as the side are competing for honours and fulfilling both their and his personal ambitions.
He said: “I think so. When you’re at a team you don’t think too far into the future.
“Obviously, I’m really grateful for the contract that I’ve received and the trust that I’ve been given from the board and from the manager and everything like that.
“But yeah, I’m just taking it game by game, just trying to do the best I can for this club.
“We’ve got ambitions and as long as we achieve these ambitions and achieve what we want to achieve, I’m sure I’ll be here for a long time.”
Hall says he is happy to stay at Newcastle for ‘a long time’ if his and the club’s ambitions are matched Credit: Shutterstock
Hall has been back to his best this term under Jaissle and celebrated his England recall by firing Newcastle to victory over Hull.
The Mags sit ninth after five games, suffering only one defeat under their new boss.
Hall added: “He’s a top guy. He’s been so good to me.
“He gives me the licence to express myself as long as I do the defensive work and do the running that’s required for this position, which is quite a lot of work.
“But I’m happy to do it as long as it benefits the team. He’s been a positive for everyone who’s come in so far.”
