Leeds United’s transfer business thus far has painted a very clear picture that the club are investing into certain profiles of their players in central areas, which includes Sean Longstaff.
Coming out of a glamorous 100-point Championship title-winning campaign into a Premier League survival bid is going to be a huge shift for Leeds.
Going from dominating the ball and creating chances aplenty every week, to defending for our lives and needing to strike on the counter is a big test for Daniel Farke and his squad, but the recruitment is reflecting that shift.
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Leeds United closing in on agreement to sign Sean Longstaff from Newcastle United
Sean Longstaff is the latest name to be progressing towards an Elland Road transfer, off the back of the Whites striking an agreement to sign Gabriel Gudmundsson from Lille for £10million.
(Action Images via Reuters/Scott Heppell)
The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed a third offer of £12million (add-ons included) has been sent to Newcastle United, while personal terms are already in place between Leeds and the midfielder.
Since then, it has been claimed by LeedsLive that this bid has been accepted by the Magpies, paving the way for Longstaff to make the move to West Yorkshire.
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The Longstaff news unsurprisingly brought mixed reviews from the fans reacting on social media, with some seeing him as valuable Premier League experience, while others question his ability to provide the technical quality needed in this division.
An answer and my personal review on Longstaff comes somewhere in between that, with Longstaff forming just one part of Leeds’ ongoing recruitment drive to build for survival, something that can’t be fairly judged until the window shuts and we know what we’re working with.
(Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith)
That being said, looking at what Longstaff brings to the table, he’s a tidy enough number eight in possession that gets across the pitch very well in and out of possession to not only show for the ball and shift it promptly, but to aggressively press too when the opposition have it, and that fits into what Leeds are building quite clearly.
Adding to Lukas Nmecha (free), Jaka Bijol (£15million), and Sebastiaan Bornauw (£5million), there’s an emphasis on Leeds making their spine as robust as possible – which looks even more evident with strong links to Rodrigo Muniz up front and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in goal.
Longstaff might not be the same graceful number eight that Ao Tanaka has been for us, but variety in Leeds’ midfield is certainly needed, and if you add Anton Stach alongside the Newcastle man, Leeds have all of a sudden built a physically very formidable setup in a crucial area of the pitch.
Let’s be honest, we’re not going to pass teams off the park next season like we did in the EFL, and even so much as trying to is asking for weekly hidings (see Burnley and Southampton), so being more aggressive, stronger and making Elland Road a horrid place to play football is probably the best route to surviving in the short-term.