This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Nottingham Forest have set their sights on Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff, as per a report from The Sun.
The Reds are reportedly looking into a loan move for the 24-year-old, with Longstaff on the fringes at St James' Park.
Starting the season as a regular starter, the midfielder has played just 19 Premier League minutes in Newcastle's last seven matches.
Longstaff has played 81 times for Newcastle since his 2018 debut, with his younger brother Matty currently on loan at Aberdeen from the Premier League outfit.
Three of our writers here at FLW have shared their thoughts about this potential deal...
Ben Wignall
Steve Cooper tends to use two in midfield but on the face of it, it looks like he's well-covered in that position.
You have Jack Colback, Ryan Yates, Cafu, James Garner and Braian Ojeda all fighting for those two spots, so is another midfielder really needed?
Granted though, Longstaff is a good player and not too long ago he was being courted by Manchester United when he was a regular at St. James' Park - the Red Devils were quoted an astonishing £50 million.
Things have gone slightly downhill for Longstaff ever since and he finds himself out of Newcastle's team now, and a loan move to the Championship could really do him the world of good.
Forest however do look to be fine in that department so if I was Cooper I'd be eyeing up fresh faces in other positions.
Toby Wilding
This does look as though it could be a rather good signing for Nottingham Forest if they can get it done.
Steve Cooper's side do not have a great deal of options in the centre of midfield at the moment, so they could benefit from another option in that position.
Longstaff could obviously fill that role, and given he has previously more than held his own in the Premier League, you do get the feeling that he could make a big impact for Forest in their push for promotion from the Championship.
Indeed, given the profile of this move and that potential interest from elsewhere, this could be something of a statement signing from Forest, meaning it does look to be one worth pursuing for those in charge at The City Ground.
Justin Peach
It’s a surprise to see Nottingham Forest linked with a central midfielder considering they seem well stocked in that area of the pitch.
They already have Cafu, Jack Colback, James Garner and Ryan Yates who are all similar to Longstaff, and with the form of Yates and the emergence of Colback, it doesn’t seem a necessary signing for Forest.
Longstaff is clearly a talented player and possesses ability that will certainly improve Forest’s squad, but it would make much more sense to focus their transfer budget into other areas of the pitch.
The forward areas look light in terms of options and if Grabban gets injured, they’re without a consistent goalscorer. So whilst it will be a good signing, it isn’t necessarily needed.