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‘Done deal’- Crystal Palace and Chelsea agree loan signing of highly-rated star after new contract
Chelsea youngster Lewis Hall has agreed a new deal at Stamford Bridge but will leave on loan for game time.
Chelsea and Crystal Palace have agreed a loan deal that will see Lewis Hall heard out to Selhurst for the 2023/2024 Premier League season.
The 18-year-old has put pen to paper on a new six-year deal that has seen his wages doubled before heading out to Crystal Palace for his first loan spell according to the Evening Standard.
Hall broke through the first team last season and excelled playing as a left-back. He also won the club’s Academy Player of the Season with high praise from club legend Frank Lampard.
In a campaign where most of the high-profile players struggled to impress, Hall was a breath of fresh air and his breakthrough campaign has earned him a deserved contract extension and a chance to impress at a mid-table Premier League club.
This is a move that benefits everyone involved, as Chelsea give a promising young player the chance to develop at a very good Premier League club. Crystal Palace get a player who can play at left-back and in midfield while Hall gets minutes that he would normally not get Chelsea under Pochettino.
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has been crying out for reinforcement since the departure of Wilfried Zaha and James McArthur and Hall’s arrival should boost the team ahead of the Premier League game against Sheffield United this weekend.
In other news, Eagles winger Michael Olise is still a target for the Blues with manager Roy Hodgson publicly admitting they face a fight on their hands to keep the France under-21 star.
He told reporters: “We have a fight on our hands to make sure he stays with us. We had two outstanding wingers who were almost the best in the league – Michael Olise on the right side and Wilf on the left. We don’t have Wilf anymore – clubs are circling around Olise.
“We’ve lost five senior players from last season and brought one in – Jefferson Lerma. He’s good and we’re happy to have him in – but there is still that hole of five senior players in the squad, two of whom were two of the real stars of the team.”
The Eagles briefly flirted with relegation last season before Hodgson’s appointment saved the day with a 12th placed finish.
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‘Powerful’ Crystal Palace player now ‘set to join’ European club on permanent deal – journalist
The latest news suggests that Crystal Palace will be selling one of their academy prospects to a Ligue 1 club this summer.
Crystal Palace are trying to integrate more youth into the side, but some are still on the fringes. With them now getting older, it feels like a pivotal summer for some of the academy talents.
One who has never properly broken through is 22 year-old Jake O’Brien. According to LondonNewsOnline journalist Edmund Brack, the defender is on the way out of the club.
The journalist tweeted: “Crystal Palace defender Jake O’Brien set to join Lyon on a permanent deal. Long-term contract. Loan to RWD Molenbeek a possibility but not a certainty.”
Jake O’Brien set to leave Crystal Palace
It does make some sense for the club to sell the defender and for the centre-back to want to leave the club this summer transfer window.
He is now 22 year-old and with Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi the star defenders, there is no chance of him currently getting a start.
Meanwhile, Chris Richards is seen as the first replacement for the pairing. Therefore, O’Brien is quite far down the pecking order.
The “powerful” player now needs to get game time otherwise his growth is going to be stunted. He is also at an age where you do not want to be playing academy football anymore.
If Palace get a decent figure for him then it would be very beneficial and they can hopefully use that to add more depth to their squad.
Hopefully the club do bring some more signings in as they definitely lack some depth at this current time and they do not want to get dragged into a relegation battle.
