Newcastle United know what its like to lose a promising young player.
Indeed, Sunday will see Newcastle go up against Elliot Anderson when they travel to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Anderson has hit the ground running at Forest and Eddie Howe has admitted he did not want to have sold the player in the first place, though the club’s hand was forced due to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Given Anderson’s status as an academy graduate, the money the club received for him was banked as ‘pure profit’ and helped the club avoid a ten-point deduction.
Clearly, its not an ideal situation, but selling homegrown players does obviously bring its financial merits.
Which brings us to a certain Sean Longstaff.
Hailed as “magnificent” for his performance against Arsenal last time out, Craig Hope has offered an interesting update on his future.
Why Newcastle could soon sell Sean Longstaff
Hope revealed he was of the belief Longstaff could leave the club next summer, despite having trigged an option to extend his contract into the summer of 2026.
“His one-year extension option will be invoked in January,” he said in a video posted on YouTube.
“What does that mean for Longstaff’s future? Well, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to see out that year but it protects the club’s asset, the valuation of him.
“If you’re pushing me for an answer, I would expect to see movement on Longstaff going out of the club perhaps in the summer, given he would then only have 12 months to go.
“The club have a decision to make. Do they then reward him with a longer-term deal or is it time to sell? I think it might just be the latter. But in the short term, Sean Longstaff has shown his value and his worth in the first-team.”
Eddie Howe will not be happy if Newcastle sell Sean Longstaff
It’s hard to imagine Howe being pleased if Newcastle were to sell Longstaff, regardless of the obvious financial benefits.
He, after all, hailed the midfielder as an “unsung hero” last season, having played through the pain barrier at times.
Newcastle, this season, have been a better team with Longstaff in it. They haven’t lost a Premier League game he’s started.
While there are perhaps more fashionable names in the squad, there’s little doubt that he helps bring the balance.
Selling him might help unlock funds but Longstaff is a key player and losing him would be pretty galling, just like Anderson.
Newcastle shouldn’t rush into a decision here…
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