Newcastle United made a late addition to their 25-man Premier League squad amid the hustle and bustle of the January transfer market and securing a place in the Carabao cup Final.
Eddie Howe’s side bid farewell to Miguel Almiron and Lloyd Kelly last month, freeing up two slows in their 25-man squad for the top flight. Jamal Lewis is one of the beneficiaries of their departures, finding himself back in the squad.
However, the Northern Irishman is currently injured after his loan spell with Brazilian side Sao Paulo was cut short in December, requiring surgery back in the UK. Lewis played just six times for the Brazilian side in 2024, three of those from the bench after joining the club on loan until the summer of 2025 with an option for them to buy him come the end of that period.
It’s unclear the extent of the 27-year-old’s injury, but Sau Paulo sporting director Carlos Belmonte admitted he’d return to England to undergo surgery, with the new season in Brazil starting in mid-January.
It’s now clear that Lewis’ spell with the Brazilian side has come to an end after being named in Howe’s 25-man Premier League squad.
Although he’s currently out injured, the decision to name him in Newcastle’s pool of player eligible for the Premier league offers him a lifeline. Lewis’ last start in the top flight came in a 3-1 defeat away to Liverpool way back on December 16th, 2021 – 1,165 days ago.
The full-back picked up an injury at Anfield that kept him out for the next two games, before picking up a groin injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign. He’d find it tough to break back into Howe’s starting XI from thereon out and was left out of the Premier League squad after January 2022 for the remainder of the season.
His last start for the Magpies came on January 7th 2023 in the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Lewis has had loan spells with Watford and then Sau Paulo since then, with it clear he’s on the fringes of the Newcastle set-up.
It remains to be seen if he’ll be given minutes in the Premier League, but given the lack of depth in the squad, he’s been named as a potential option for Howe. Lewis was given minutes in pre-season for the Magpies, though it’s clear his opportunities will be limited, if he does come back fit before the end of the campaign.
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