Leeds United star above £225m Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz in newly-revealed rankings
Leeds United’s summer transfer window has aged well so far this season, for the most part.
No Premier League player has made more tackles than Sean Longstaff since his first Leeds start, with the midfielder emerging among Daniel Farke‘s most important players.
Anton Stach has also been outstanding for Leeds in midfield, with the German’s technical ability shining through for the Whites.
The 26-year-old bagged his first goal from a free-kick against Wolves, with what was a stunning strike into the top corner.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin struggled against Tottenham on Saturday, and the striker is still waiting for his first home goal at Elland Road after also scoring at Wolves.
Leeds signings stand out in summer rankings
Longstaff was referred to as “one of the bargains of the summer” after his performance against Newcastle, and the midfielder has continued to prove the comment correct since.
It cost Leeds a base fee of just £12million to bring the 27-year-old to Elland Road, and he hit the ground running immediately.
Longstaff‘s first goal and assist came against Bournemouth, and despite Leeds’ loss to Tottenham on Saturday, the midfielder was again excellent.
| Sean Longstaff | Vs Tottenham (H) |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Accurate passes | 39/46 |
| Chances created | 5 |
| Shots | 4 |
| Tackles | 2 |
| Recoveries | 5 |
| Ground duels won | 5/10 |
The Englishman created the most chances of any player on the pitch, and won half of his duels against the tough-tackling pairing of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur.
On Tuesday, The Athletic ranked every single transfer to the Premier League this season, and Leeds fans would have been happy to see their man rewarded.
Longstaff was ranked fifth, above the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz – who cost Liverpool a combined £225m.
Tim Spiers wrote about the midfielder: “Massively exceeded expectations and becoming the figurehead of Leeds’ side.
“Got a goal and an assist against Bournemouth, has brought stability and dynamism in midfield, plus offers good set-piece deliveries, and he suits Leeds’ physical approach.“
Also appearing in healthy positions, Gabriel Gudmundsson, who was ranked 20th, Stach in 28th, and Noah Okafor in 43rd.
Sean Longstaff proving value by the game
Longstaff was afforded just 25 Premier League appearances for Newcastle last season, with almost all of them coming from the bench.
In that respect, it was a slight gamble from Leeds to sign the midfielder, who would have been expected to be slightly rusty having struggled for minutes.
But Longstaff has been worth every penny of that £12m and more so far this season, and decision-makers at Elland Road will be delighted with their signing.
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