Newcastle should have prioritised a move for Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney ahead of recruiting Lewis Hall, according to journalist Charles Watts.

The former Gunners correspondent for Goal told TEAMtalk that the Scottish international would have been a perfect fit for Eddie Howe’s side and he has questioned why the Magpies decided against making a bid for him:

“Tierney’s a fantastic left-back, who would have suited Newcastle really well. But obviously, the scouting department felt differently. Hall looks like a decent player in the few games that I’ve seen him.”

“But if you’ve got a choice between Kieran Tierney and Lewis Hall for around the same sort of transfer fee, for me, there’s only one player I’m signing there and it’s not Hall.”

Why did Newcastle choose Hall over Tierney?

There are three main factors that Watts is not taking into account when arguing that the Arsenal player would have been a better signing.

Firstly, Chelsea were willing to loan Hall first, enabling Newcastle to get around Financial Fairplay restrictions. There is very little chance that the Gunners would have approved a similar deal for Tierney.

Secondly, the Scottish defender’s fitness record is poor and spending £30m+ on an injury-prone player would have been a significant risk. Finally, Hall is a Newcastle fan, and his desire to play for the shirt cannot be questioned.

Hall is also able to play multiple positions

While Newcastle have ostensibly signed Hall as a fullback, it is important to remember that most of his time in Chelsea’s youth team was spent as a midfielder.

That ability to play both in defence and in midfield means Howe can use him as a utility player if required. That is not something you could do with Tierney. The former Celtic player plays one position and one position only.