Jaissle praises Hall as new Newcastle contract nears

Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle has praised Lewis Hall ahead of the club's Premier League match against Leeds United on Monday, describing himself as delighted with the left-back's form amid reports that the 22-year-old is close to signing a new long-term contract. "Without speaking about his contract, I can just say that I'm in love with what I've seen so far from him," Jaissle told a press conference. "It's an amazing player with huge potential still, and this makes me so happy to, hopefully, have him here for the next years in the long term. He's fitting so good to this identity, how we want to play football, and again, he's doing an excellent job." According to multiple reports, Hall has agreed a new deal that would keep him at St James' Park until June 2031, with confirmation described as imminent. The reported extension would follow a summer in which Manchester United made Hall their primary left-back target, with manager Michael Carrick keen to add competition for Luke Shaw. Newcastle made clear the defender was not for sale at any price, and United ended the window without signing a specialist left-back.