Newcastle wingback Jamal Lewis to join Sao Paulo on loan for 2024/25 season

Sao Paulo:Brazilian club Sao Paulo has signed left-back Jamal Lewis on loan from Newcastle in England, with a contract valid until June 2025, with an option to buy.Jamal Piaras Lewis was born in Luton, England, but plays for Northern Ireland, his mother's home country. He will be the first British player to represent the Tricolor.

“When I heard about this opportunity, I immediately told my agent that I wanted to come to Brazil. It’s an honour to play for a giant like Sao Paulo and to be the first British player in the club’s history. I’m really excited to play for a club that has won three World Cups. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I’m looking forward to meeting the fans and contributing to the team,” said Lewis to SPFC’s media team.

The new Sao Paulo player has been called up to defend Northern Ireland in the UEFA Nations League. He will join the squad led by Luis Zubeldia only after the games against Luxembourg and Bulgaria

“Jamal Lewis is a player with experience in one of the great centres of world football. A representative of the Northern Ireland national team, and with experience in important clubs in England, he can contribute a lot to the development of our squad, especially at such an important moment as the one we are experiencing,” said President Julio Casares.

Jamal Lewis started playing football in Luton, an English city located about 50 kilometres from London. His first professional club was Norwich City which he joined in 2014 to play in the lower categories, and made his debut in the first team during the 2017/2018 season. The following season, he was one of the highlights of the EFL Championship, the English second division, and was even part of the team of the tournament. He made his Premier League debut in the 2019/2020 season.

Lewis's good performances caught the attention of Newcastle, the club he played for for three seasons (2020/2021, 2021/2022 and 2022/2023). Loaned to Watford last European season, Lewis played in 38 matches, 36 in the EFL Championship and two in the FA Cup.

“We used the creativity and assessments of our analysis team to come up with the name of Jamal Lewis, a full-back with the characteristics we were looking for. He is a young player with experience in English football, which certainly gives him important experience. He is another player who will strengthen our group in the three competitions we are competing in,” added football director Carlos Belmonte.