Campbell Tips Everton To Land Newcastle United Midfielder: What Will He Bring To Goodison Park?

In a recent interview with Football Insider, former Arsenal forward Kevin Campbell tipped Everton to land Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff. Campbell said,

“I think there’s going to be negotiations with a few players but I’m not sure if they will be part of it.

“Longstaff has been linked with Rafa Benitez at Everton. Benitez really likes him so that one will get one I think.

“Look, Newcastle have big bank now. The expectations have changed overnight. Youngsters like Longstaff are probably going to be cast aside for experienced players like [Georginio] Wijnaldum.

“I’m sure there has been and will be negotiations with Longstaff. He could stay and be part of the squad but does he really want that?

“If he’s serious he will want to get away and play. I can’t see him re-signing. Newcastle won’t want him to leave on a free though so they’ll probably try and do something in January.”

Longstaff’s Recent Form At St. James’ Park

Longstaff has made a solid start to this season but has failed to help the Magpies pick up any wins in the Premier League. The 23-year-old has been involved in eight matches for the Tyneside giants so far in this campaign, finding the back of the net once in the process across all fronts.

The Newcastle upon Tyne-born midfield ace deserves some credit for averaging 3.1 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, 1.3 clearances, 1.5 shots and 0.6 key passes per game in the English top-flight and the EFL Cup this season. He has also been neat with his ball distribution after completing 81.7% of his attempted passes in both those competitions (stats via whoscored).

What Will Longstaff Bring To Everton?

Longstaff loves to get stuck in with a few tackles in midfield and can often offer some decent protection for his teammates at the back by sensing the danger quickly inside his half. He is not afraid to put his foot through the ball when needed and is usually a tidy passer of the ball going forward.

The English midfield ace doesn’t need an invitation to have a strike from long range but can improve his creativity when distributing possession in the final third. Furthermore, Longstaff lacks pace which can sometimes make him a liability at the centre of the park.

Still, the pros outweigh the cons of signing him as the Newcastle star is still relatively young and has his best years ahead of him. We can expect Longstaff to bring some bite and steel to Rafael Benitez’s midfield department at Goodison Park. He will also provide some healthy competition for Tom Davies, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Andre Gomes and Allan for a place in the Toffees‘ first team in the coming seasons.