A win against Tottenham on Saturday could cost Newcastle United £24million - worth it

Newcastle United go up against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in the 12:30pm kick-off at St James' Park live on TNT Sport.

It's a huge game for both teams with both looking for European qualification this season, albeit Spurs are gunning for Champions League and Newcastle will just take anything at this point.

However, it's a game that could prove costly for the Magpies, especially if they go on to win the game.

It all comes down to the deal with Chelsea for young left-back Lewis Hall who is currently on loan at St James' Park.

Newcastle fans suspected that the obligation to buy Hall would be triggered by appearances

We've known since the 19-year-old signed in the summer that it was a loan that contained an obligation to buy, however, it wasn't until recently that we learned what it is that triggers that obligation.

There was a lot of speculation from fans that the obligation trigger was appearance-based and that's why we hadn't seen much of Hall this season, but it turned out that Newcastle must fork over the cash for Hall upon finishing higher than 15th in the Premier League.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs on X, Newcastle have already paid an initial £4million to Chelsea to do the deal, but the remaining £24million could become payable as soon as Saturday if Newcastle take three points off Spurs.

Newcastle could mathematically achieve the goal that keeps Hall at Newcastle on Saturday

If the Magpies win, then the lowest they could finish in the league this season would be 15th, therefore the obligation to buy Lewis Hall would be triggered.

With Eddie Howe now having to use the Newcastle-supporting youngster due to another spate of injuries, that money will seem less like a waste now that we're actually getting regular minutes out of him.

There was a lot of excitement from Newcastle fans when Hall was signed as he was very highly rated at Chelsea, but it has taken nearly all season to get any real output from him as Eddie Howe has had reservations about his defensive abilities and has seen him as more of a player for the future.