Newcastle United have bid farewell to one of their own as Sean Longstaff completed his move to Leeds United on Friday night.
The Newcastle and Leeds admins were both busy as the former paid tribute to the departing hometown hero, while the latter welcomed an exciting new arrival to Elland Road.
Leeds have reportedly paid £12million for Longstaff, alongside a further £3million in achievable add-ons, including Premier League survival.
Longstaff himself took to Instagram with a short message for Newcastle, which led to many of his peers – including Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali – to respond.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty ImagesSean Longstaff move to Leeds prompts outpouring of emotion from Newcastle camp
Sean Longstaff shared a highlights reel of himself on Instagram, along with the message “thank you for everything, NUFC”.
It didn’t take long for many of Longstaff’s peers to wish him well and say they’ll miss him.
Livramento wrote: “Thanks for everything brother, you’ll be a big big miss”. Meanwhile, Tonali posted a crying emoji along with three red hearts.
Screengrab of replies under Sean Longstaff’s Instagram post about his move from Newcastle United to Leeds United
Credit: Instagram @seanlongstaff97
Alan Shearer wished Longstaff good luck, while Joe Willock admitted he had a tear in his eye due to the news and Paul Dummett said the midfielder “lived the dream”.
In addition, Jacob Murphy described Longstaff as a “hero” and a “legend”.
Longstaff becomes Leeds’ fifth summer signing after Sebastiaan Bornau, Lukas Nmecha, Jaka Bijol and Gabriel Gudmundsson.
Callum Wilson’s big Sean Longstaff compliment
In 2023, former Newcastle forward Callum Wilson said he wouldn’t swap Longstaff for anyone.
“We brought in a £60million striker last summer and you use it as competition, as fuel,” he told The Times.
“You know with the way the club’s going that if you don’t perform then potentially it could be your time done at the club. So you have to keep performing, keep pushing and keep improving.
“And that’s what everyone’s doing. Players like Sean Longstaff, who’s come through the academy, and now the manager is getting the best out of him and he looks a top player week in, week out.
“We wouldn’t change him for anybody now.”