Sean Longstaff is buzzing that Sven Botman joined Newcastle

Newcastle United chased Sven Botman for months, getting involved in a tug-of-war with AC Milan for the Dutch defender, but ultimately got their man and Sean Longstaff believes he made the right call.

Sean Longstaff is certainly happy Sven Botman came to Newcastle

Botman set the Magpies back around £35m when he joined in the summer from French club, Lille. It was a transfer that had Newcastle fans wondering if it would ever happen, especially when reports were coming out from Italy that the 23-year-old had opted to sign for AC Milan.

Thankfully, those rumours proved to be untrue and Botman was confirmed to be a Newcastle player on 1st July 2022.

Eddie Howe chose not to throw the Dutchman into the fray on day one of the season, letting him take in the Premier League from the bench at first, but an injury to Matt Targett early in the season forced Howe’s hand and Botman was thrust into the starting line-up in place of Dan Burn who was moved out wide to cover Targett.

It wasn’t until last weekend that Sven Botman got his first taste of defeat as a Newcastle player having missed the loss to Liverpool at Anfield and being rested for the defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup. On one hand, it will have been a bitter pill to swallow for Botman, but the fact that his first defeat in a Newcastle shirt came in February of his first season is an impressive statistic.

Speaking to the club’s official matchday programme, UNITED (via NUFC.co.uk), Botman talked about his steely demeanor that often makes it look like he’s much quieter than he is: “You know me – you know that I’m not quiet or anything. But maybe I can imagine from the outside you don’t see me talking all the time.”

But it was later in the interview when Sean Longstaff burst through the door that we got an idea of how important Botman is to the squad with Longstaff saying “I’m happy you came here”, going on to joke with his friend, “mention me please”.

Botman can add to his medal collection on Sunday

I think you’d be hard pressed to find a Newcastle fan who doesn’t share Longstaff’s sentiment. £35m already looks like a steal given the level of performances Botman has consistently put out since joining, and the fact that he’s only 23 and not even the finished article yet is a scary prospect.

No stranger to silverware already having won Ligue 1 and the French Super Cup with Lille, Botman will be looking to help Newcastle lift their first trophy in 54 years on Sunday when they take on Manchester United at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final.

It’s already clear that Botman could go on to dominate the game for many years, hopefully while still wearing the black and white stripes of Newcastle.