Newcastle United considering making hugely important contract play to keep top player at club
We all know that in football, contracts are barely worth the paper they're printed on, but one thing they are good for is maintaining a player's value, and Newcastle United know that all too well.
Were it not for the length of Alexander Isak's contract last summer, we'd not have got anywhere near the £125 million we did.
In an ideal world, a contract would actually keep a player tied to the club for the duration of that deal unless the club, who own the contract, say otherwise, but there's far too much player power these days, so now contracts are purely about ensuring clubs get top dollar when a player wants to move.
That's exactly why Newcastle need to tie down Lewis Hall to another bumper deal. He's earned himself improved terms this season, that's a given, but he's also earned a lot of plaudits along the way and with that comes attention.
Lewis Hall still has Lamine Yamal in his pocket after Tuesday night
On Tuesday night, Lewis Hall kept one of the World's brightest young talents quiet all game. Were it not for scoring the last-second penalty, Lamine Yamal would have contributed nothing in the Champions League clash with Barcelona, and that's down to Lewis Hall.
Newcastle have a generational talent on their hands, and they need to do all they can to try and keep him happy and at the club, so an improved deal would go a long way towards doing that, and it would also preserve his value, so we could absolutely fleece anyone who even tried to take him off our hands.
According to Mark Douglas in the iPaper, Newcastle are fully aware of this and are already thinking about offering the 21-year-old improved terms.
Lewis Hall's love for Newcastle United could be a huge factor in his future
Hall's current deal runs to 2029, so there's no immediate rush, but we fully expect Hall to be a regular feature in England's World Cup campaign this summer and that will only bring more eyes his way if he has a good tournament.
Getting him signed up to a new contract before then could be massive for Newcastle.
We do still think that his being a boyhood Newcastle fan will help to keep him at the club, too, but if the bigger boys come around flashing the cash and their shimmering trophy cabinets, there's only so much we can do.
