Eddie Howe stumbles across the ‘glue’ for Newcastle United’s £155m transfer dilemma
Newcastle United have won five, drawn one and lost zero of the six games Sean Longstaff has started this season.
Joelinton cost £40million, Bruno Guimaraes £35million and Sandro Tonali £55million. Throw in Joe Willock for £25million and Newcastle United boast £155million of midfield talent.
However, they seemingly cannot play together without a freebie born just nine miles from St James’ Park. On Wednesday, Sean Longstaff made inroads to winning over Newcastle supporters’ hearts.
In a vicious, social-media-focused world, criticism can be relentless. No longer can a player simply launch a newspaper in the bin and vow to prove the naysayers - usually a journalist - wrong on Saturday afternoon.
Everyone now has a voice. And rightly or wrongly, fans prefer to single out their own when the going gets tough. Listen to Gary Neville or Jamie Carragher, who played largely in a pre-social media age.
The duo regularly highlight how increased vitriol would come their way at Manchester United and Liverpool due to where they were born. Given the advent of faceless Twitter accounts, that homegrown scrutiny has amplified.
Longstaff is living every Geordie lad’s dream. His 191 appearances for the Magpies has included a Champions League goal against Paris Saint-Germain, a derby win over Sunderland and Wembley cup final appearance.
But those experiences come at a cost - as he opened up after scoring at Burnley in May. He said: “Sometimes you can get caught up in everything that's going on outside. What people are saying, I can’t control that. Ultimately, all I can do is play football and, whatever people say, people say. It is what it is.”
Even in midweek, news that Newcastle are set to trigger his one-year extension was met with murmurs of discontent. Just hours later, a stellar showing against Chelsea silenced the doubters.
Howe started Longstaff - one of his most trusted lieutenants on Tyneside - ahead of fans’ favourite Guimaraes. This allowed Tonali to sit deeper and, lo and behold, the midfield balance returned.
Newcastle’s press also made a comeback, with Joelinton shifted onto the left flank. Longstaff may be technically inferior, but his iron lungs and positional sense on the right of the three are potential equalisers.
Five wins, one draw and no losses with Longstaff on the team sheet this season speaks volumes. By contrast, Newcastle’s only victory from the six he has not played was against Nottingham Forest - a game that saw him bag the decisive penalty.
He could be the glue to get United ticking again following a slump of five Premier League games without a win. Supporters certainly seemed to acknowledge his unsung contribution at the full-time whistle last night.