Chelsea made big error with £75m Newcastle duo - Joe Cole
Remember that summer of 2023? We were all buzzing about Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes arriving, but let's be honest, the double swoop for Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento might just be the smartest business we've done in years.
These two young full-backs, brought up through the youth systems at Chelsea, have gone from settling in to absolutely tearing it up on Tyneside.
Last season was a real breakthrough for both of them, not only cementing their spots as our starting full-backs under Eddie Howe, but also breaking into the England squad. Hall might have had a blip with an injury after a red-hot start, but Livramento finished the season on fire and absolutely bossed it for the England U21s this summer en route to glory.
And here's the best bit: they're only going to get better. Meanwhile, down in West London, you can bet Chelsea are kicking themselves. These were their academy boys, nurtured through the ranks, only to be shipped out to fund more of their ridiculously lavish spending sprees that show no sign of slowing down.
Even former Chelsea man Joe Cole can see the writing on the wall. Speaking on the Dressing Room podcast, he couldn't stop raving about Livramento's performances at the U21 European Championship. He's convinced Tino would walk straight into Chelsea's current team.
Cole, who even coached Livramento during his time at Stamford Bridge, described him as a "lovely lad with great ability", also hailing his incredible versatility and all-round skillset:
“I watched him [Livramento] throughout the tournament and I coached him a few times at Chelsea. He was coming through when I was there,”“He’s a lovely lad, great ability. I remember doing a session with him on crossing and I was just trying to break down the three different crosses you would do.
“He had everything: big, powerful, great skill, great attitude. I was like, ‘Once you get to the byline you’ve only got three options: you’ve got the dink to far post, you whip it across or you cut it back’, and he did it on both sides, left and right.
“When we talk about the new model at Chelsea and we praise them… you’ve still lost Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall, another top player. I don’t know how much money but they’ve gone out. Are the ones coming in [better]? Tino Livramento would get in Chelsea’s team now.
“He was absolutely brilliant. If it wasn’t for Harvey Elliott getting Player of the Tournament, he could have been in the running for it.”
We paid Chelsea a reported £35m (£28m with £7m in add-ons) for Hall, which, let's be fair, is a decent chunk of change.
But get this: Livramento was sold to Southampton for a paltry £5m before we snapped him up for £40m. Chelsea might have had a sell-on clause, but it's nowhere near what they could have pocketed if they'd just held onto him and given him a chance. What a blunder.
These two are the future, and they're wearing black and white stripes. While Livramento gets a well-deserved extended break before pre-season, Hall is expected back later this summer as he recovers from injury.
We can't wait to see them both back in action in 2025/26, for club and country!
