'Not stupid' - Newcastle United star's transfer bombshell claim after £68m double deal

The Magpies were required to raise funds before the PSR accounting deadline on June 30 otherwise risked a Premier League points deduction. It was a precarious situation that went to the wire but United covered their shortfall via the sales of Yankuba Minteh to Brighton & Hove Albion and Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest for a combined £68million.

Minteh joined from Danish side Odense Boldklub last summer but never kicked a ball for Newcastle after spending the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Feyenoord. Meanwhile, Anderson played 55 times for his boyhood club after coming through the academy.

Those two players were sacrificed but Longstaff believes it could have been anyone with Player of the Year Anthony Gordon also linked with a move to Liverpool.

Asked about Anderson, Longstaff said: “Yes, it was really disappointing, I think. Elliot was a massive part of our team, on the pitch, off the pitch. He was a massive part of it and I think when we saw it, we were in shock.

“We’re not stupid, we'd seen all the stuff with financial fair play and who was on the table and who wasn't on the table and stuff. I think at that point, the way it seemed, I think everyone sort of had their price and yeah, unfortunately for Elliot, the day after it was done, I think we were all in running together and he came in and you just sort of gave him a big hug.

“But hopefully he's going to use it as a positive and yeah, maybe he's not going to be seen as the young lad at Newcastle anymore and he'll get a bit more respect for how good he is and hopefully for him he can kick on and have a really good season, just not against us.”

Anderson’s £35m fee - a joint club-record sale alongside Andy Carroll’s move to Liverpool in 2011 - represents “pure profit” in PSR terms because he was an academy graduate. Longstaff too emerged through the youth ranks, so did he feel like he was “on the table”?

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I don't know how true the stuff was,” he said. “I think each sort of situation is slightly different without getting too deep. So yeah, like I said, you've just got to focus on yourself and whatever happens, happens.

“And like I said, Elliot, unfortunately for us, was the one that had to go and yeah, for us, it's just now about focusing on who's here and having a really successful season here.”

Although Longstaff survived the PSR fire sale, the 26-year-old’s future is a little uncertain with him and a number of his teammates out-of-contract - as it stands - next summer.