FORMER York City striker Macaulay Langstaff has joined Sky Bet Championship side Millwall from Notts County for an undisclosed fee.
Penning a “long-term” contract, he becomes the Lions’ first summer signing, with the London club fending off competition from Swansea City – now managed by former Magpies boss Luke Williams – for his signature.
The 27-year-old marksman scored just 11 times in 52 appearances for the Minstermen between 2018 and 2020 but has become one of the country’s most prolific strikers since.
He broke the Vanarama National League’s record for the most goals across a season in 2022/23, netting 42 times in 47 appearances as Notts were promoted via the play-offs, remarkably none of them coming from the penalty spot.
That earned him the nickname of the “non-league Haaland”, also seeing him set a new club record for the number of goals scored by a player across a single season.
Langstaff scored just 11 times for the Minstermen, but has had no problems finding the back of the net since.
Some had questioned whether the Teesside star could replicate that form in his debut EFL season, a test he passed with flying colours as a 28-goal haul saw him take home the Sky Bet League Two Golden Boot last campaign.
He now moves to the capital having been his division’s top-scorer in each of the last three seasons, twice with the Magpies - and once with Gateshead, for whom he scored 31 goals in 53 appearances before his reported £50,000 move to Meadow Lane in 2022.
Langstaff had been contracted to Notts until the end of the 2026/27 season, and last month was announced as the club’s new captain, replacing ex-City defender Kyle Cameron in the role.
In total, the prolific forward scored 71 goals in 96 appearances during his time at Meadow Lane.
Macaulay Langstaff is a 𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍.#Millwall pic.twitter.com/aRDM2Goyez
— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) July 8, 2024
Millwall boss Neil Harris will hope that Langstaff will add some much-needed firepower to his side, who earned a 13th-placed finish in the Championship last term.
With injuries to senior strikers Tom Bradshaw and Kevin Nisbet, they managed just 45 league goals, their lowest in nine years.
In a short interview with his new club, Langstaff vowed to appreciate every day.
He explained: “I think the one thing that I take away from my non-league days is that I appreciate every single day now, in terms of coming into clubs like Notts County and now Millwall, I appreciate every single day.
“I’ve been on them training pitches that aren’t the best, and when you see the facilities around Millwall and Notts County, you just appreciate every single day.
“It makes me want to work even harder, because I know where I’ve come from and where I want to get to, so I just want to put 110 per cent effort into every single day.”
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