Sean Longstaff continued his impressive start to life with Leeds United as his side secured a much-needed 2-1 win over West Ham.
The roof nearly came off Elland Road after Sean Longstaff guided his corner onto the head of Leeds defender Joe Rodon to put the home side 2-0 up.
Leeds paid an initial £12 million fee to bring Longstaff to the club from Newcastle United, with the midfielder adding crucial Premier League experience to the Whites’ midfield.
Longstaff has hit the ground running with Leeds, providing a balance of defensive stability and attacking threat, giving Daniel Farke a reliable set-piece taker, as evidenced by his contribution to Rodon’s two goals so far this season.
After another assist for Leeds, the stats from the Premier League season to date show exactly why Longstaff is one of the signings of the season, as he is among the best in the competition.
Sean Longstaff is among the statistical Premier League leaders
Despite his reputation as a battler in the centre of midfield, Longstaff is rapidly one of Leeds’ best creative options, proving the value of his acquisition.
Not only does Longstaff have the most goal contributions in the Leeds squad, having scored once and registered two assists, but he is also among the best in the Premier League for chance creation, according to Fob Mob.
Having created five big chances for Leeds, no player has created more big chances in the Premier League than Longstaff, as he sits joint top alongside Cody Gakpo, Mo Salah and Adam Wharton.
Sean Longstaff for Leeds United:
- Goals: 1
- Assists: 2
- Big Chances Created: 5
- Chances Created: 18
Longstaff is also third on the list for most chances created in the division, with 18, one behind Gakpo in second and eight behind Bruno Fernandes in first.
When the bargain fee that Leeds paid for Longstaff is taken into account, with Gakpo costing Liverpool around £35 million, it highlights what a brilliant piece of business it was to bring him to the club.
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Jermaine Beckford praises Leeds United star Sean Longstaff
Speaking to LUTV after Leeds’ win over West Ham, legendary former Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford praised Longstaff for his impact on the Leeds team.
According to Beckford, Leeds now look much more dangerous from set pieces, and Longstaff’s delivery is a big part of that.
The former Leeds man said: “Joe Rodon is one of the strongest headers on the pitch today, let alone just for us. He’s up against arguably one of the weaker headers, you know, in terms of physicality, the timing of the headers and that sort of stuff from Paqueta.
“So it was a major mismatch. But again, it’s fantastic for us because we’ve got a great delivery from Longstaff and we’ve got great movement and a great header from Rodon.”
Former Leeds goalkeeper Nigel Martyn added: “Arsenal are not frightened of scoring from a corner or a free kick or whatever. Every goal doesn’t have to be 25 passes and getting behind and sliding it across for somebody to tap it in.
“There are different ways, and teams should spend a lot of time defending and attacking free kicks. Working on different types of free kicks and corners, and things like that and defensively, they have to get them right as well.
“I thought we defended our set pieces really well tonight, and we looked like a threat on our set pieces, so obviously the work is being done at Thorp Arch.”
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