Leeds United: Sean Longstaff transfer news makes little sense: View | OneFootball

Leeds United now have eight games remaining to confirm their place in next season's Premier League.

Despite a rocky start to the campaign, the Yorkshire side soon got their season back on track and have been one of the best sides in this season's Championship.

Their latest result, which was a 2-0 win over Millwall, means the club is now at the top of the table, and they will be hoping they can stay there for the remaining games of the season.

So, with promotion to the top flight in their own hands, attention will soon start to gather towards plans for the summer transfer window.

Leeds will hope they are in the Premier League and therefore shopping in a higher market, which looks like their plans are hoping for that, as they are being linked with a move for Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff.

Leeds United interested in Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff

According to the Sunday Mirror (March 17, page 66), via Leeds United News, Leeds United are keeping an eye on Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff and could possibly make a bid of £15 million if promotion is secured.

The 26-year-old came through the academy at St. James’ Park, and since making the step-up to the first team in 2019, he has been a regular in the side.

At times, the midfielder has been in and out of the side, as changes of managers has meant he’s been favoured and unfavourable at times.

Last season, Longstaff played 33 times in the Premier League as the Magpies secured Champions League football. This season, Longstaff has so far played 25 times in the league, as well as five appearances in the Champions League.

Longstaff has started more games than he has been benched for this season, but he is entering a decisive moment, as he will be in the final 12 months of his contract this summer, and therefore, Leeds believe they can prize him away from Newcastle.

Obviously, Leeds United will have full concentration on the remaining games of the season, as they still have a job to do.

However, the board will be setting plans in place for the situation if they remain in the Championship and one for if they are promoted at the end of this campaign.

So, the talk of being interested in Sean Longstaff is one that definitely fits into the latter, as Leeds’ only chance of securing the midfielder’s signature would be if they have secured promotion to the Premier League.

While Longstaff would be a relatively low-cost deal, and he would bring enormous top-flight experience, it is something that doesn’t quite make sense for Leeds, given what is already at the club.

The 26-year-old has performed pretty well this season, scoring four goals, which is outperforming his xG, which stands at 3.57, as per Sofascore.com.

The midfielder is also creating chances for his teammates, with him creating three big chances so far and having collected two assists. Longstaff has also been good on the ball, averaging 82% pass accuracy per game and making 0.6 key passes.

While Longstaff has also contributed defensively, averaging 1.5 tackles per game, 0.4 interceptions, and recovering the ball 3.8 times per game, as per Sofascore.com.

These are not bad numbers from Longstaff, but when you consider that Leeds already have Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, Ethan Ampadu, and Ilia Gruev on their books, Leeds are not screaming out for another midfielder.

So, there isn’t much need for the Whites to go into the market and buy a new midfielder, who will no doubt want to play every game were he to join the club, meaning one or two of these players would likely lose their starting spot.

Furthermore, while the Newcastle man is entering the final 12 months of his deal, it seems unlikely he would be willing to swap a regular role in Newcastle’s midfield for a role at Leeds United.

So, while Leeds could see a low-cost deal happening for a player in their final year of contract, it just doesn’t make sense for it to be a midfielder and one that is unlikely to be interested in a move to Elland Road if promotion is secured.