Sean Longstaff leaving Newcastle United will mean a change to squad registration for the Champions League
Sean Longstaff of Newcastle United and Eddie Howe
Sean Longstaff of Newcastle United and Eddie Howe(Image: Getty Images)
Sean Longstaff's time at his beloved Newcastle United is coming to an end as Leeds United seek to build a squad capable of surviving Premier League relegation.
A fee of £12m looks to be enough for the Whites to secure a much-needed signing after a tricky start to the summer window. For Newcastle, the exit will represent pure profit on their balance sheet as the academy graduate ends his 20-year association with the Magpies.
Longstaff has fallen down the pecking order in recent months but has long been trusted by Eddie Howe - and his departure will bring about a slight change when it comes to Newcastle's UEFA Champions League squad.
The competition's rules state clubs must have eight homegrown players in their registered squad, with four of those 'club-trained' - meaning they were at the club for at least three years between the age of 15 and 21. Under-21 players do not need to be registered to feature in the Champions League, meaning Lewis Miley, who falls into that category, and other youngsters do not need to be official named in United's final squad submission.
Longstaff, as it stands, is the only Newcastle player who meets the 'club-trained' criteria due to recent departures for Elliot Anderson and Paul Dummett, and his exit would mean United could only name 21 players on their 'A-list'. Miley and other youngsters can be entered on Newcastle's 'B-list'.
Speculation has been rife that a free agent goalkeeper - potentially Tim Krul or Fraser Forster - could be re-signed by Newcastle to help comply with these UEFA regulations. The north east named a 23-man squad during their last stint in the Champions League, back in 2023/24, but also named under-21 stars such as Michael Ndiweni, Ben Parkinson and goalkeeper Aidan Harris on the bench as injuries took hold on Tyneside.
This time around, the likes of Sean Neave, Leo Shahar, along with Parkinson, could all be drafted in as 'B-list' players should Howe need to call on extra bodies as the group stage gets going.
As for Longstaff, his Elland Road move sees him go in search of regular minutes in the top flight. The Newcastle star played an integral part of his side's previous Champions League push and their subsequent European campaign before finding game time hard to come by behind the likes of Miley, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton.
Newcastle will likely now pursue additional midfield reinforcements upon Longstaff's exit, while young guns such as Alfie Harrison will see an opening to fully attack in their pursuit of first-team football.
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