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Leeds United’s latest signing follows one of the club’s two paths this summer: big lad or sensible and experienced. Sean Longstaff fits the latter, with seven years in the Premier League under his belt. But who is he, and what’s he all about? And is he the next Michael Jordan? Michael Geordie, if you will.
Longstaff is a son of North Shields and product of Newcastle United’s academy, as Geordie as Brown Ale or Greggs. His first experience of senior football came at Kilmarnock in 2016/17, playing sixteen times while there on loan. Newcastle then sent him out again to Blackpool the following year but gave him a chance to impress in pre-season 2018/19, which he duly did.
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez gave Longstaff his Premier League debut against Liverpool on Boxing Day 2018. His first start came a few weeks later against Manchester City and he won the penalty that saw Newcastle take a 2-1 victory against the defending champions.
Longstaff’s real breakthrough at Newcastle came after Eddie Howe took over, during their Saudi paymasters’ early ownership of the club. Howe took a shine to Longstaff for his work rate and footballing intelligence, using him more frequently towards the end of 2021/22 and making him a first team regular the following year as Newcastle qualified for the Champions League.
The arrival of Sandro Tonali was meant to signal the end of Longstaff’s stay in the first team, but Tonali received a ten-month ban from football shortly after joining, the result of an investigation into breaches of Italian betting regulations. Longstaff played more matches than expected that year, including in the Champions League, but Tonali’s return last season saw his minutes vastly reduced, hence his availability to Leeds.
Despite playing against Leeds four times, Longstaff has done nothing to offend the sensitive souls that support the Peacocks. It’s quite incredible really. His greatest crime is to have played quite well against Leeds at Elland Road on the day that — I believe — the tide turned for Marcelo Bielsa. Newcastle won 1-0 thanks to a Jonjo Shelvey free-kick beating Illan Meslier’s feeble grasp and things were never quite the same, but I’m not inclined to blame Longstaff for that one, not unless he manages to defy the odds and become this season’s LUFC Scapegoat.
Longstaff’s dad and ex-Leeds midfielder Alan Thompson are cousins. If Thommo could teach his cousin’s kid how to hit a free-kick, Leeds might become the greatest set-piece team ever with all the big lads Longstaff will have to aim at.
Other than viral clips of him taking wickets for Tynemouth’s cricket team, Longstaff’s greatest career moment so far might be his goal against PSG in the Champions League. Newcastle returned to the competition after twenty years away, thanks to the sovereign wealth of a nation, and their first tie at St James’ Park came against PSG, also there thanks to the sovereign wealth of a nation, albeit a different one.
Unreal!
Newcastle player Sean Longstaff taking a wicket today for Tynemouth CC ☝️ pic.twitter.com/CJXVitcydn
— Cricket Shouts 🏏 (@crickshouts) July 5, 2025
Longstaff played a key role in his team’s 4-1 demolition of PSG, scoring the third goal by crashing into the box and shooting under Gigi Donnarumma, before running off celebrating wildly like the fan-turned-footballer he is. Fair play, Sean. They were great scenes and all that, and we’re in no way bitter that was happening to Newcastle while Leeds were navigating a 1-0 win against QPR in the Championship. Not at all.
Longstaff’s breakthrough into Newcastle’s first team came midway through the 2018/19 season but was cut short towards the end of that season after he suffered a serious knee injury. I looked up his injury record and it’s pretty clean otherwise. You can breathe again.
His knee injury ended his first season in the Newcastle team and put his career on hold for the best part of five months, although he did come back from it in better shape, eventually.
One minor positive is that the injury reportedly stopped Manchester United paying around £50m for him that summer, although Longstaff might not see it that way. Don’t worry, Sean, you can move to a different club for £50m in a couple of years. We’ll get you to Real Madrid if you play well, or something.
Few news stories have the ability to interrupt one’s Friday night quite like a transfer. Leeds announced Longstaff’s arrival around 9pm, just as people’s weekends were kicking into gear — I was at Headingley watching the Rhinos smash Salford — and they did so with a delightful nod to his dual sporting abilities.
🙌 HOWZAT?!?! pic.twitter.com/a2cZFjXP1N
— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 18, 2025
Longstaff spoke with Michael Bridges in an interview on LUTV:
“I think there is something to be said for a team that wants you and a club that really wants you. I think from the first time I spoke to Leeds, I sort of got a feeling that they really wanted me.
“It just fills you full of confidence and it just makes you want to repay those people. It is a massive, massive football club similar to Newcastle in a lot of ways.”
I’m not sure about the last bit, but the rest sounds great, Sean. He also demonstrated admirable professionalism by jumping on a flight to Sweden and putting in a shift for 45 minutes against Man Utd on Saturday, with the ink on his contract barely dry and having only arrived from Newcastle’s pre-season camp in Austria on Thursday. Now that’s what I call commitment.
With lots of running, tackles, sensible passing and, hopefully, a few goals. The Elland Road crowd loves a footballer that plays with passion, flying into tackles, shooting from range and just generally haring about the pitch.
Longstaff’s years of Premier League experience should help ease Leeds’ transition back into the top flight. And he could bolster the county of Yorkshire’s cricketing squad depth, winner winner. His father, David, is also a member of the British ice hockey Hall of Fame, having played for almost thirty years in several different countries and picking up over 100 caps for Great Britain.
If Leeds believe that a team full of big lads and hard workers will carry them to safety, then the acquisition of Longstaff will go some way to building that squad.
The last time Leeds signed a midfielder from Newcastle United, they played him at left-back. Vurnon Anita came to the club with top flight European experience, except he was rubbish. Longstaff, we hope, won’t have that issue. Instead, let’s be optimistic and hope he has the kind of impact another ex-Leeds and Newcastle midfielder did. James Milner will do. No pressure, Sean. ⬢
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