Bizarre reason why Chelsea have been secretly supporting Newcastle this season
Chelsea fans have a surprising reason to cheer for Newcastle, it has been revealed.
While they won't be supporting the Toon when they face off on Monday night, they'll be hoping that Newcastle can gather enough points to finish above 15th in the Premier League for the rest of the season.
This is all because of an odd clause in the deal that saw Lewis Hall move from Chelsea to St James' Park last summer.
The 19-year-old joined Newcastle on loan for an initial fee of £4million, with a further £24m due to make the switch permanent. However, according to The Telegraph, the transfer isn't finalised yet as it hinges on where Newcastle end up in the league.
They need to finish above 15th for the deal to go through. With financial pressures looming, Chelsea are eager for Newcastle to do well enough to sign Hall.
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Todd Boehly needs to balance the books this summer to meet the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules. As Hall is a homegrown player, selling him will count as 100 per cent profit.
Currently, Newcastle are eighth in the table, 14 points clear of Brentford in 15th. Hall has only played 11 times in all competitions for Eddie Howe's team this season. It's suggested that director of football Dan Ashworth was the main person behind the signing.
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