Eddie Howe confirms double deal with Newcastle in big boost ahead of next season
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has confirmed that Jamaal Lascelles and Lewis Hall will be at St James' Park next season.
club captain Lascelles has prompted a one-year contract extension to extend his stay on Tyneside.
He Cartoon The manager also confirmed that Hall would be at St James' Park for “many years”, with the player now set to complete a permanent transfer to Newcastle from Chelsea.
The 19-year-old is currently on loan from the Blues to the Toon, but a £28million move is due in the summer, which should please howe.
Lascelles has been at the club since 2014, when he joined from Nottingham Forest along with Karl Darlow.
He was named club captain in 2016 after the club was relegated from the first division.
The Englishman has made 249 appearances for the Toon since then and has played a key role this season in the absence of Sven Botman.
The Dutchman's knee injury at the beginning of the campaign opened the door for Lascelles.
He played in all but one Champions League game and has made 15 Premier League appearances this year.
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And Howe is delighted to have him stay.
Speaking ahead of Newcastle's game against Chelsea, live on talkSPORT, he said: “He's under contract with us next season.
“He has done incredibly well as a leader and captain of the group.
“His game has really developed and he has played a big part of the season, and when he has played, he has been excellent.”
Hall's situation has been less clear.
The versatile Englishman is a Newcastle fan but has barely played this year.
He has only played eight games in the Premier League, with a total of 104 minutes.
The 19-year-old has been an unused substitute 24 times and last appeared for the Magpies in early January.
However, despite this, Howe has confirmed that the conditions for his loan deal to be made permanent are almost complete.
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At the same press conference, Howe said: “I'm preparing for Lewis to be here for many years.
“I believe in him. He was brought here for the long haul. There's no magic wand; sometimes you just need patience, which I know is a rare commodity.”
It's been a strange situation with Hall this year because, despite all the injuries, Howe has refused to use the left back.
However, he is still young and looks set to be an important player at St James' Park in the coming years.
