Derby have recently been linked with a January move for young Newcastle midfielder Matty Longstaff on loan. We spoke with Elijah Newsome from Coming Home Newcastle to find out all about him.
Derby have been linked to a move for Matty Longstaff. Do you think there is truth to that or is it paper talk?
I definitely think there is truth to the rumors. Matty desperately needs and wants play time, and this provides a good opportunity for him to do so. Right now Newcastle have a lot of central midfielders for a two man midfield set up and Matty is towards the bottom of the midfield pecking order. The only way Matty has been able to get playing time so far is when there have been injuries to multiple players in the midfield. For a player that made the jump directly from the U-23s to the first team consistent play-time is key for his development and right now he’s not getting that at Newcastle.
What position does he play?
Matty is a Central Midfielder, I would go as far as to say he’s a true number 8. He offers something going forward and is a decent enough defender, but is not great enough at either skillset for me to label him a creative 10 or ball winning 6. I hope he continues to hone his skills as a true 8, because a well rounded, versatile midfielder is always wonderful to have.
What kind of player is he?
His work rate is the thing that will stick out to you the most when watching him. He’s always sprinting around trying to make things happen on offense or defense. He works incredibly hard for however long he’s on the pitch, and that is why supporters love watching him play. Like his brother Sean, he likes to have a go from distance and actually has scored quite a few goals from distance in his young career. He’s a good passer of the ball, he does not try to play line breaking hollywood balls like Jonjo Shelvey, but he can play them but ore often then not you’ll see his passing ability displayed with a nice switch of play or ball lofted into the box. He covers a lot of ground as a midfielder, and is a player who certainly is not afraid to track back even if he is not the best defender.
What are his strengths? His weaknesses?
As stated, Matty’s work rate is truly impressive. He’s up there with Miguel Almiron for hardest working players in the squad. This is something that I think is an underrated strength because work rate is something you can’t teach. You can teach someone to be a better defender, to be a better finisher, or even study film with them so that they understand when to make the correct pass or run. But, you usually can’t teach a player to work harder on the pitch, they have to be willing to do that. Not every player is willing to do so, and that’s ok. Jonjo Shelvey falls under this boat, and he is still a good player for Newcastle. He does not work as hard as others, but he still is a technically gifted player that is one of Newcastle’s better players.
N’golo Kante on the other hand was a player who has always been known to work hard in the midfield and then spent years developing his technical ability. This is why Kante is a manager’s delight, and If Matty could be half as good as Kante, I’d be a happy camper. Matty also is a good passer of the ball, probably is one of the best shooters from distance at Newcastle, and he covers a ton of ground.
His biggest weakness is his size. He’s only 5’6” as opposed to his brother who is 6ft tall. He can get bullied off the ball easily by larger midfielders, which has resulted in him not really being able to unlock a lot offensively. He’s not a great dribbler which is worrying given his size, does not have the eye for some of the more intricate offensive runs really good midfielders make, is not incredibly athletic, and is not a great defender. He works hard in defense but can be a bit flat footed at times and mistimes tackles fairly often.
Is he highly rated at Newcastle?
Matty is seen as one of the most exciting young prospects at Newcastle that is “ready” for first team football. Newcastle’s academy is not good, so when a player from the academy is able to contribute to the first team like Matty has, or looks promising, like Matty does. The player is a big deal. Matty joins a list of essentially only three promising players since Paul Dummett made it out of the academy years ago: him, his brother Sean, and goalkeeper Freddie Woodman (on loan at Swansea). There is a lot of pressure on the club to make sure these players succeed, while also staying in the Premier League. Fans who don’t pay close attention to the youth team especially believe Matty, Sean and Freddie are the only hopes for Newcastle to develop their own Mason Mount, Phil Foden or Dean Henderson. The club also wants these players to be successful, as them being successful means they can sell other players for profit and most importantly to Mike Ashley, not spend money bringing in new players. Matty, Sean and Freddie are seen as priorities by the club and are local lads loved by the fans. Everyone wants to see them succeed
Why is he not in Steve Bruce’s plans?
One thing that has become evident under Steve is that he truly believes in having the best players out on the pitch at all times, which is not a hot take by any means, but it does mean prospects don’t get opportunities under Steve Bruce even when it makes sense for him to play them. Miguel Delaney of The Independent even went as far to say Bruce believes that eight times out of 10 if he puts out the better lineup he will win the match (regardless of tactics). What we are finding out about Bruce is that often he equates proven Premier League players with “better talent” and his lineups/signings reflect that. The first transfer decisions he made were to bring in Andy Carroll, Danny Rose, and Nabil Bentaleb (Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin were moves sanctioned before Steve Bruce was hired). All players with PL experience, even if none of them are exactly great players.
His first summer window in which he was able to spend his own money he brought in Ryan Fraser, Callum Wilson, Jeff Hendrick, and Jamal Lewis, with Lewis being his only signing thus far that has less than 4 years of premier league experience. Experience in the Premier League, or British football overall, is important to Bruce, and unfortunately for Matty it means less appearances for him. Matty is technically the least experienced professional player in the squad and likely is never an option to start. Ahead of him are four solid, not great, midfielders that all have a lot of Premier League experience in Shelvey, Hayden, Hendrick and his brother Sean. Sean is the only player ahead of Matty in the depth chart that may not have a lot of Premier League experience, with only two years in the Premier League where he dealt with some injuries. But unlike Matty, Sean has played multiple seasons professionally having been on loan with Blackpool (twice) and with Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership. In short, Matty is the 5th choice midfielder under a manager who likes to employ two man midfields the majority of the time. It’s worth noting that clearly he is still seen as a priority with the club has he barley plays for the U-23s and has made the first team squad list ahead of more experienced players like Christain Atsu or Henri Saivet.
Has he played for Newcastle’s first team? What are his stats like?
Matty made the jump to the first team last season after dominating the youth ranks at the club. He made his debut with the first team against Leicester in the EFL Cup, and was solid in an eventual loss to Leicester on penalties. Things were quiet on the Matty Longstaff front until injuries absolutely decimated the first team resulting in Matty making his Premier League debut against Manchester United at St James Park. Matty scored the winner with a shot from distance. He went on to make eight more Premier League appearances , scoring once more against Manchester United in the reverse fixture. In total last season he had 15 first team appearances with two Premier League goals and one goal in the FA Cup. This season he has has one Premier League appearance so far, and looked decent in the midfield
Does he have a future at Newcastle?
I sure hope he does! One of the most worrying parts of Newcastle’s summer was when Matty nearly left the club. He’s wanted here at Newcastle, and he has an opportunity to make a name for himself in a position where there are simply still a lot of question marks. Every midfielder ahead of him is good, not great, and they all have their own weaknesses that allow for them to be dropped from the starting 11 at any time. The safest midfielder at Newcastle right now is likely Isaac Hayden simply because he’s the best defender of all of the midfielders. Matty’s only true competition at the moment is his brother and two aging Premier League players who have been largely inconsistent since their time at Newcastle.
Do you think he has what it takes to succeed in the Championship?
I personally think the Championship suits him well, I think it will be a steep learning curve for him as he tries to establish the type of player he wants to be. Will he turn into a 6?, will he try to be a maestro that picks out passes?, or is he going to be a threat to score from the midfield? He has to figure that out without the pressure of trying to contain Bruno Fernades or Youri Tielemanns. I think the physicality of the Championship suits him and ultimately playing under a manager that is not Steve Bruce will likely bring the best out of him. I think he can contribute to a team in the Championship, but his work most certainly might not show up on the stat sheet at first. He’s not going to bring a ton of goals and assists, but his work rate and energy in the midfield should be a welcome addition wherever he is in January.
If he does sign for Derby, what can supporters expect from him?
A hard nosed ginger kid who’s going to be flying all over the pitch. At times its going to look chaotic, but that's the fun of watching Matty Longstaff play!
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