Leeds United have now officially unveiled Sean Longstaff as their fifth summer buy after promotion to the Premier League.
This is the first time this summer that the Whites have actually purchased some experience of the division; however, with Longstaff able to boast a mammoth 171 Premier League appearances for former employers Newcastle United – with ten goals and nine assists tallied up along the way – before Elland Road came calling.
Still, there are more exciting signings potentially on Leeds’ radar than the 27-year-old’s £12m switch to West Yorkshire, as a versatile forward presence is now eyed up.
Leeds ready to hijack deal for £12m star
A far more eye-catching pick-up than Longstaff’s arrival onto the scene would surely come in the form of Rodrigo Muniz entering Daniel Farke’s ranks, with recent reports suggesting that Leeds are continuing to pursue a move for the Fulham attacker who has a healthy 17-goal return in the top-flight.
Moreover, Igor Paxiao is also on the Whites’ agenda from Feyenoord as they try to replicate their Crysencio Summerville magic, but a move might be on the table for Juventus star Timothy Weah, too, if Leeds can hijack Marseille’s advances at the final hour.
Indeed, as per football journalist Mirko Di Natale, via his X account, Leeds and Everton remain in the background for the hunt for Weah, but a hijack could be on the cards owing to no agreement being reached yet between Marseille and the Old Lady.
The interest is still there – and at a reported £12m – this might well go down as one of the standout deals from Leeds’ hectic transfer window, with Weah potentially going on to be a far more exciting buy than the ex-Toon midfielder.
Why Weah would be a more exciting signing than Longstaff
Longstaff does have that added boost of plenty of Premier League experience, but it will be a competition for the 27-year-old to make Farke’s XI from the get-go, when considering the Whites’ already stacked midfield options.
The German already has Ao Tanaka at his disposal centrally, who is fresh from a standout Championship season where he collected seven goal contributions in total, on top of also having the steady presence of Ilia Gruev by his side.
The brand new Leeds purchase will also need time to get up to speed with proceedings, having only made eight starts in league action last season for Eddie Howe’s Magpies as a rotation member of his squad.
Weah did also struggle for consistent first team minutes in Turin last campaign, with 18 starts being handed his way in the hustle and bustle of Serie A, but the “versatile” ace – as he’s been praised in the past by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley – has still managed to shine in spurts across various positions on the pitch for Igor Tudor’s giants across 78 clashes.
|
Weah’s numbers for Juventus by position |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position played |
Games played |
Goals scored |
Assists |
|
RM |
32 |
2 |
1 |
|
RB |
11 |
1 |
1 |
|
RW |
10 |
3 |
1 |
|
LM |
6 |
0 |
0 |
|
CF |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
LW |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
LB |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
|||
Despite such limited opportunities, Weah would manage to chip in with an impressive five strikes last campaign for his Italian employers, with the American even lining up in defence on occasion.
This flexibility for the cause will be music to Farke’s ears, considering the ex-Norwich City boss loved utilising a similarly fluid body in the form of Archie Gray when he was situated at Elland Road.
Away from his adaptable nature piquing Farke’s interest, Weah would also be capable of pushing Daniel James all the way to a starting spot on the right channel when you weigh up the Welshman’s previous Premier League difficulties – with only 12 goals next to his name in the daunting division – next to the 25-year-old’s more assured presence in Serie A.
This isn’t to say that Longstaff won’t be a valued member of Farke’s squad, with his know-how of the taxing league no doubt coming in handy.
But, the “wonderful” £12m star – as he’s been labelled by ex-boss Brendan Rodgers – might just be a slightly more captivating signing to someone peeking in, when you take into account his malleable nature and his bursts of quality at the very top of Serie A.
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