Well, what a busy few weeks! I’ve got to admit, I’m liking our transfer activity so far since our return to the Premier League. Yes, granted, the majority of our signings have been defensive (with the exception of attacker Lukas Nmecha on a free), but I’m encouraged by this.
Our latest addition is 27-year-old Sean Longstaff from Newcastle United for a £15 million package, who I think is another smart addition and will bring us even more steel, plus vital experience and make us even harder to beat.
That, I think, appears to have been the trend so far in the transfer window. It seems that Daniel Farke wants to turn us into a side that is hard to score against, first and foremost and it looks like there is now a strong foundation in place. Certainly the makings of a very strong spine, after the arrivals of Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw – both at centre-back.
Longstaff Can Add Vital Experience – Big Upgrade
While this is a name that might not exactly get you all rushing into Elland Road, Longstaff is a seasoned contender having been (for at least the last couple of years) playing for a ‘top-six club’, with talented players. He has also been key in relegation battles, prior to the Magpies’ takeover.
One thing we know about the player is that he’s a scrapper, hard to beat and has a great engine – three traits that will be vital for us in our bid to survive – a feat no promoted club has achieved for the last two seasons. I’m glad we’re taking this statistic seriously – it seems.
| Player Statistics – 2024/25 | Sean Longstaff | Ao Tanaka | Ilia Gruev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 260 (10.4/90 match) | 72 (2.53/90 minutes) | 36 (1.90/90 minutes) |
| Interceptions | 97 | 83 (1.47/90) | 17 (0.90/90) |
| Recoveries | 573 | 217 | 53 |
| Clearances | 110 | 22 (1.09/90) | 21 (1.11/90) |
| Blocked Shots | 51 | 57 (1.25/90) | 2 (0.11/90) |
Playing glamorous football is all well and good – but if we can’t attract the type of players we need to do that, then we should at least make sure that we have the players to keep teams out, who offer a different type of goal-threat and can defend a lead.
One thing that Longstaff has is experience against big clubs in big games as well as knowing what it takes to win. He is Premier League-ready and can go straight into the team without a period of adjustment. I think he’d make a great vice-captain as well personally – he’s certainly got all the traits of a leader and he can quickly become our most important player.
Fantastic Value For Money
For £15 million, I think he could well turn out to be our best-value signing as well. All of our additions have been for very good prices to be fair, though for me, the kicker is that he has Premier League experience and is coming into the peak of his career.
Let’s not forget, he was also part of the Newcastle squad that won the Carabao Cup last season as well with the Magpies beating high-flying Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley Stadium. Granted, he was an unused substitute, but he did play a part in the cup run and knows what the experience of being around a winning environment feels like.
He reminds me a little bit of Alan Smith, the way in which he doesn’t leave anything on the pitch as well – granted, he’s not as natural a goalscorer, but I think Smith was always really a central midfielder anyway, as he proved when he went to ‘that lot’.
No doubt, more signings will follow, but for now at least, I’m just glad that we seem to have the makings of a very strong defensive foundation.
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