In a recent print edition, The Daily Mirror (5th September, Page 78) revealed that Newcastle United are hoping to reopen talks with Sean Longstaff over a new contract. However, it is believed that the Magpies could look to cash in on the English midfielder in January if he decides not to extend his deal with the Tyneside club (transcripted by geordiebootboys.com)
Longstaff’s Inconsistent Form In English Football
Longstaff had an up and down campaign at St. James’ Park recently but did well to establish himself as a regular starter in Steve Bruce’s first team towards the latter stages of last season. The 23-year-old made 27 appearances for the Magpies in the previous campaign, picking up one assist and two yellow cards in all competitions.
The Newcastle-born talent struggled to find consistency with his performances at the centre of the park based on his average of 1.4 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 0.6 clearances, 0.7 shots, 0.5 key passes and 0.2 dribbles per game in Premier League football. However, Longstaff distributed the ball with a lot of conviction after making 81.5% of his attempted passes in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
The talented midfield ace’s current contract at Tyneside is set to run out at the end of this campaign, so Bruce would have no choice but to cash in on him during the winter transfer window if the player opts not to pen a new deal by then.
Newcastle Hoping To Reopen Contract Talks With Longstaff: Good Move For Both Parties?
Longstaff is a hard-working central midfielder who can make some crunching tackles to make life difficult for the opposition in midfield. He can retain possession quite well and is even proficient at engineering some decent plays for others around him when he is playing with confidence on the pitch.
However, the English midfield enforcer needs to improve his productivity in the opposition half if he intends to prove his worth in the Premier League every week. Signing a new contract could help the player concentrate on getting better on the training field.
Newcastle can also rest easy having Longstaff commit his long-term future at St. James’ Park as he remains an important member of Bruce’s match-day squad. At 23, his peak years are ahead of him which is why the Magpies should try everything they can to get him tied down to a fresh contract before the transfer window reopens in January when Longstaff will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club of his choosing.
