Legendary football manager Neil Warnock is in total agreement that a former Newcastle United man should sign for Leeds United this summer.
While a lot of focus has been on arrivals on Tyneside, the departures have been just as important.
Newcastle United have pushed fringe players towards the exit this summer in preparation for new arrivals. This was the case for Sean Longstaff, who joined Leeds United for £15million including add-ons last week. The 27-year-old was an academy graduate, so his transfer fee is seen as pure profit for the Magpies.
Eddie Howe admitted he did not want to sell Longstaff, with the North Shields-born midfielder a big help for the Magpies’ UEFA squad registration for the upcoming Champions League campaign. However, with his contract running out next year, Longstaff told Newcastle to sell him this summer so they could reap the benefits of his transfer fee.
Elsewhere, Callum Wilson announced his emotional Newcastle exit after five seasons and 130 appearances. His next club is yet to be confirmed, but Neil Warnock and former Football League ace Ross McCormack have said why Leeds would be the perfect club for him.
Neil Warnock backs Callum Wilson to be successful if he joins Leeds United
After Wilson’s exit, Newcastle are looking to sign a new striker to play alongside Alexander Isak.
Reports have linked Newcastle with a move for Yoane Wissa, but talks for the 28-year-old are yet to take place. In the meantime, Wilson has interest from several different Premier League clubs.
Burnley are keen on signing Wilson for free, while Everton and Leeds have also been linked. With his future still undecided, Warnock and McCormack are convinced he is the right fit for newly-promoted Leeds.
Speaking on TalkSPORT on July 22 (8:55am), McCormack said: “The one I think, if I was looking at it in the summer, I would have gone for would be Callum Wilson, to be honest.”
In response, Warnock said: “Yeah, because you know what you’re getting, don’t you?”
McCormack then added: “Exactly, yes, everything about him, he works hard, he gets about the place, he’s a good, good player, and he would probably have that bit between his teeth to say, you know what, I’ll get back to the levels I was at.”
Callum Wilson does not want to be a second-choice player at his next club
Although he slowed down towards the end of his Newcastle career, Wilson gave fans some of their favourite moments in recent memory.
The 33-year-old enjoyed a sensational 2022/23 season with the Magpies, helping them qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years. His ability to beat the back-line that season was remarkable. A prime example of it was during the 4-1 win against Brighton at St James’ Park.
Newcastle were 2-1 up going into added time, but he broke away and found the back of the net to give Howe’s side a two-goal cushion before Bruno Guimaraes secured all three points with another late goal.
Despite his age, Wilson is not ready to sit on the bench and be limited to substitute appearances. In a revealing interview, Wilson told Howe he wanted to be first choice at Newcastle and was not ‘mentally’ prepared to be a backup option.
If he can keep fit and prove he can still play for 90 minutes, he would be a brilliant player for a club like Leeds.
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