Eddie Howe confirms double deal for Newcastle in massive boost ahead of next season
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has confirmed that Jamaal Lascelles and Lewis Hall will be at St James' Park next season.
Club captain Lascelles has triggered a one-year contract extension to extend his stay on Tyneside.
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The Toon boss 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 pound switch is set to happen 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 made club captain in 2016 after the club were relegated from the Premier League.
The Englishman has made 249 appearances for the Toon since and has played a key role this season in Sven Botman's absence.
The Dutchman's knee injury earlier in the campaign opened the door for Lascelles.
He played all but one of the Champions League games and has 15 Premier League appearances this year.
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And Howe is delighted he's going to be staying.
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Speaking ahead of Newcastle's game against Chelsea, live on talkSPORT, he said: "He has a contract with us next season.
"He's done incredibly well as a leader and a captain of the group.
"His game has really developed, and he's played an important part of the season, and when he's played, he's been excellent."
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Hall's situation has been less clear.
The versatile Englishman is a Newcastle fan but has barely played this year.
He has made just eight Premier League appearances, totalling 104 minutes.
The 19-year-old has been an unused substitute 24 times, and his last appearance for the Magpies came in early January.
However, despite this, Howe has confirmed the conditions for his loan deal to be made permanent are almost complete.
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Speaking 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 term. There’s no magic wand — sometimes you just need patience, which I know is a rare commodity."
It has been a strange situation with Hall this year because, despite all the injuries, Howe has refused to utilise the left-back.
However, he is still young, and it seems he will be an important player at St James' Park in the coming years.
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