Chelsea wonderboy Lewis Hall given ‘cursed’ shirt as he joins Newcastle on loan
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Lewis Hall's Newcastle tenure is yet to even get underway – but fans at St James' Park might already be fearing for his future.
Or at least the more superstitious ones might feel some trepidation after the teenager's shirt number for this season was unveiled. Hall, 18, is the second Blues academy graduate to join Eddie Howe's ranks this summer after the Magpies also signed fellow full-back Tino Livramento on a permanent deal from Southampton.
Newcastle fans were overjoyed at landing such a highly touted member of Mauricio Pochettino's squad, who broke into Chelsea's senior ranks last season before making his debut for England's Under-21s earlier this summer. Hall has moved to the northeast on a season-long loan but could complete a permanent move next year for an initial £28million.
He'll look to make his mark at left-back while competing with Dan Burn and Matt Targett, with the latter being an unused sub in both Newcastle's games so far this season. And he'll do so while wearing the No20, which has a 'cursed' reputation among those who have worn it in the 21st century.
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The most recent player to don the digit at St James' is Chris Wood, who cost the Magpies £25m but went on to score just five times in 39 appearances. Prior to that, a slew of French signings each wore the number at one point or another as the likes of Florian Lejeune, Yoan Gouffran, Florian Thauvin and Remy Cabella failed to add a great deal of value.
Other notable names to bear the mark include Duncan Ferguson, Antoine Sibierski, Albert Luque, Leon Best and Bjarni Gudjonsson. Perhaps the last player to take the No. 20 and leave with a positive reputation was former club captain Geremi, who spent three-and-a-half years on Tyneside and, like Hall, made the move to St James' from Stamford Bridge.
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Looking further back, fans will likely remember Lee Clark as their most successful star to have impressed in the jersey. The retired midfielder made 260 appearances for Newcastle across two stints at the club, earning promotion in 1993 before clinching consecutive second-place Premier League finishes under Kevin Keegan.
Hall wouldn't turn his nose up at a similar feat under Howe in the near future, though he'll have to displace Burn from the XI to get his chance. The Magpies have been widely praised for recruiting young, promising assets after finishing fourth in the Premier League last term, with Hall, Livramento and Sandro Tonali showing particular promise of late.
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Howe said he was delighted to have signed a player who has demonstrated such 'quality, versatility and high potential' so early on in his senior career. It's not unforeseeable that Newcastle could have two of England's most prominent full-backs at their disposal in the near future, with Hall and Livramento seemingly bound for big things.
But first, the most recent addition to the squad will have to show the superstition surrounding the No20 at Newcastle is just that. And the loan star could get his first sight at the squad when Howe & Co welcome Liverpool to the northeast on Sunday.
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