Dumbest of Dumb Decisions -

Selling 18-year old Lewis Hall for a pittance (hugely devalued)!

Not entirely surprising given Poch afforded him with very little gametime at left-back or midfield, excluded from season opener matchday squad, no glowing references or report suggesting that Pochettino wanted to keep him and high squad number unchanged from last season.
No disrespect to Casadei or Moreira...but under no circumstances should they for example be accumulating more minutes than relatively refined all-rounder in Hall on tour. Adds insult to injury.
Cucurella in the first-team picture over Hall is already enough of a piss-take (Chasm in quality between them is humongous).

One can easily deduce from that he wasn't rated by Pochettino and not part of his plans...
Writting on the wall. Sheer disbelief.

https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1664357992202993669/vid/1280x720/ePX1Z10ZVJjtu1rJ.mp4?tag=14
Hall posseses the close control, drop of the shoulder, ball retention, robustness, end product delivery and creativity desired, all rolled into one...with his youthful exuberance (Rarely showed signs of being overrawed or our of place against stern opposition).
Wont play like he's on the beach, as he has something to prove.
The foundations, ingredients and capacity to excel is invaluable.


Where most fullbacks have one function, one mode and One-dimension in & out of possession...
Hall has varying attributes, value will skyrocket over the course of the season.

Your homegrown player is sought-after by CL club(s) and a potential genuine PL threat for the forseeable, take the hint.
This is where the club directors / owners in their role should step-in and protect a valuable asset. Hard stance. Embarrassing state of affairs on that one.


Newcastle have just acquired two high-level CL calibre versatile standout Chelsea academy products in Tino & Hall at a total cost of one Cucurella.
Let. that. sink-in. Travesty!

For further comparison and context...Trent wasn't as polished at the same age, but he was provided the platform to make mistakes and ultimately thrive.


Defeats the purpose of having an academy, if you just go onto sell the standout crop that are actually capable of producing to the required standard, over squad money buys that will leave alot to be desired and/or take longer to acclimatise.
I've said it before and I'll reiterate...Cobham educated players that have been ingrained (spent their life) at the club from very young age will always always have the mental edge, reliability and capacity in adapting to any managers style of player faster than any outsider.

Legitimately top-tier, ready to make an impact in the short & long-term this concept tends to get completely lost in mangers mind, thinking academy products are too "inexperienced" to make a considerable impact in helping them achieve their goals. When the exact opposite has proven to be the case.
Total failure to look at the bigger picture.
Could have saved us a lot of money with critical forward-thinking, succession plan and common sense.

This is a decidely step backwards move. A stain on what has been a very productive window.
Again a case of failing to appreciate what we have already have within (and favour spending), the rules are abnormally different and unfair...there always has to be added variables / obstacles with giving academy graduates a fair opportunity.
Hurdles which big-money buys will never encounter.
Unbalanced treatment, which makes it almost impossible for them to flourish. Never a level playing field.
Manager will talk about the need for them to "fight" and "train hard" (cliched twaddle), when in reality they are working against an impossible task and fighting a losing battle (regardless of how they perform).
Nothing to do with fight, everything to do with favouritism.


(P.S. If it was a choice between signing Lavia or retaining the services of Hall...I'm picking the latter shelving the Lavia deal all day, every day. Nothing against the former, but you just don't offload a player with Hall skillset and ceiling for a pittance. Starting quality bracket.
One season in the PL and he'd already be worth at least double the price).

The worst part is we're going to be a predicament in the near future, scrambling to buy (that wont be on Hall' level).
Such a nonsensical counterproductive sale. Undoing the good work.