After taking his mark, the bowler sprinted towards the pitch and hurled a fast, good length ball into the batter’s pads. The umpire raised his finger and a crowd of white-clad cricketers jumped in delight.
No, this was not Ben Stokes for England but, apparently, Sean Longstaff for Tynemouth CCC some 220 miles north of Edgbaston. The far-captured footage that circulated online makes it difficult to verify that Longstaff is the bowler but it marries with a previous video.
In May last year, ESPN shared images of the Newcastle United midfielder claiming a wicket for the team, having coaxed the batter into getting caught behind. A few grassroots Yorkshire cricket clubs might soon be taking a look at the 27-year-old.
His move to Elland Road seems imminent with Newcastle-based sister title The Chronicle sharing that a bid from Leeds United has been accepted. This is United’s third bid for the proud Geordie, which comprises an initial £10million offer with a potential £2m in add-ons.
It’s a package that suits both clubs. This is Newcastle’s last chance to gain a fee and pure profit for their academy product, who had his year-long contract extension activated last summer.
The Magpies are getting a double-figure million pound sum for a player who started just eight Premier League games last season. For Leeds, they are gaining a talent who is in his prime at 27 and has 171 top-flight games under his belt - not to mention his five Champions League outings, during which he scored against Paris Saint-Germain.
It’s understood that Longstaff would prefer for his boyhood club to reap a fee for his exit as opposed to leaving for nothing next year. While the move has yet to pass through all of the red tape just yet, his arrival seems a formality.
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Leeds are still open to bringing in another midfielder and are not ruling anything out, though are aware that competition for Anton Stach of Hoffenheim is fierce. It’s anticipated that if a deal does get over the line, it would be a long drawn-out affair.
In the general scheme of things, his arrival seems less likely than other targets they are gunning for. Besides, Leeds are in need of one thing in particular in midfield - Premier League experience. Longstaff offers that. Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki do not.
Out of current on-the-books options, only Ethan Ampadu has played in the top tier and that is capped at just 26 matches. Ao Tanaka, Ilia Gruev and Darko Gyabi have no Premier League experience.
Yet while Longstaff is different to present Leeds midfielders in this regard, he rather fits like a glove in another. A hard-worker who will harry and press, Longstaff is the type of midfielder Leeds will need this season. He is a player fans will appreciate because of this.
Not showy nor looking at United as a stepping stone, Longstaff is a midfielder willing to get stuck in, is a team player and raises the overall quality of the squad. This is a good deal both both Newcastle and for Leeds.
Throughout his career Longstaff has delivered an average of contributing to at least one shot per game while his tackling success last season shot up to 66.7%, having never ventured north of 43% in previous seasons.
This will have been partly down to less game time - thus less tackling opportunities - and playing against a weaker median of opposition but either way, he is now winning more challenges than he is losing. He won 50% of his aerial duels last season too, which is career-best return.
With United expected to keep a number 10 in situ, Longstaff will be needed more for his rigidity than his creativity. His job will be the go-between for Ampadu and the number 10, be it Brenden Aaronson or someone else.
Longstaff is not a flashy signing but is a shrewd one, which is exactly what United need in midfield. Character will be a major aspect this season with Leeds set to be on the back foot for most games and probably engage in a relegation battle.
Longstaff will hope to be celebrating with white-cladded colleagues again next Spring, though this time having helped his football team stave off relegation. Do that and every cricket club in West Yorkshire will be happy to throw him a red ball next July.
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