To Lewis Hall, staying at Newcastle United right now is a ‘no-brainer’. England’s best left-back also wants to remain long-term - he wouldn’t have signed a contract otherwise.
But in order to keep him, the Magpies must deliver what they failed to do with Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and, in particular, Bruno Guimaraes. Newcastle must finally match the ambitions of their top players.
And that’s easier said than done.
Hall bookended a turbulent summer by putting pen to paper on a new five-year deal at St James’ Park. He admits it was something he was delighted to do.
But, as is quite rightly the case, that commitment is conditional.
Hall wants to stay. His family are Newcastle daft. He was brought up black and white. He admits it kind of hits different playing for ‘his’ club.
We all know, however, football is no ordinary environment. Few careers come with such a short, guaranteed life span. While money really matters, it isn’t always the main driver behind moves.
It’s true Gordon, Tonali, Bruno and Isak all left for more money - significant amounts, too. But, bar Tonali - whose wife had the last say - the others not only sought riches, they wanted success. Newcastle looked like the club to deliver that when these players arrived, but they soon realised it would be elsewhere their ambitions would be satisfied. Gordon left for arguably the second biggest club on the planet. Isak and Guimaraes the reigning Premier League champions, at time of move.
Hall will, in time, be in that category - Newcastle need to make sure his exit is not even a conversation. The task? This time, match trajectories with the player.
Does the new contract mean you’re staying long-term?
“Yeah, I think so. When you’re at a team, you don’t think too far into the future. Obviously, I’m really grateful for the contract that I received and the chance that I’ve been given from the board and the manager and everything like that…
“But yeah, I’m just taking it game by game at a time, just trying to do the best I can for this club.
“We’ve got ambitions and, yeah, as long as we achieve these ambitions and achieve what we want to achieve, I’m sure I’ll be here for a long time.”
Did the Man Utd speculation get to you at all?
“No, honestly, it didn’t. I guess whenever you’re linked with another team, you know that you’re doing something right.
“I guess it’s just a credit to your own performances and how you are as a player, how you are as a person. So I took that as a positive.
“At the same time, I knew how much I loved playing here, and since the manager came in, I knew the ambitions and what we wanted to achieve.
“After not many conversations, not many training sessions, I knew that the manager was going to be really good for this club.
“And I knew that as a team, bringing in new players and increasing the squad was really important. So it was a no-brainer really to sign.”