Hall joined Chelsea's academy at age eight and signed his first scholarship with the club in 2021. He made his professional debut for Chelsea at age 18, becoming the club's youngest player to start an FA Cup game, but made only ten more appearances in his final year before moving to Newcastle. The transfer occurred in summer 2023, initially as a loan with an obligation to buy for £28 million, and Hall is now 21 years old.
At Newcastle, Hall helped the team win the Carabao Cup last season, and Newcastle have impressed in the Champions League this term. His form looks set to earn him a place in England's squad for this summer's World Cup, and many pundits are of the opinion he should start for England under Thomas Tuchel. Chelsea have been warned they sold one of the best defenders in world football for just £28 million, and it was a questionable decision given his current status.
The fans are not happy [with the owners]. Since the takeover, they've spent £1.5bn and they've posted massive losses. They are four years into a five-year plan. It looks like, barring a miracle, they will be out of the Champions League. We need to talk about the strategy, the plan and where the club is going. This model of buy young, develop, and put value on. I thought to myself it sounds like buy and sell. Buy loads of players at 21, they will come into their prime at 25, and the average age of a Premier League-winning side is 27. Logically, buy them at 21, 22 or 23. Seven-year deals, average age, develop, by the time they are 27, but it seems too data-driven, structured, without the nuance of having senior players, how important that is, the culture, getting fans onside. We're coming up to the fourth year of the masterplan.
Criticism of Chelsea's strategy has grown, with Joe Cole highlighting issues. 5 billion since the takeover and posted massive losses. He said Chelsea are four years into a five-year plan and will likely be out of the Champions League barring a miracle.
Cole bemoaned the departure of promising young players like Lewis Hall and Marc Guehi, who joined Manchester City from Crystal Palace in January. He characterized Chelsea's model as sounding like buy and sell, suggesting it seems too data-driven and structured, lacking nuance with senior players, culture, and fan support.