{"id":554980,"date":"2020-06-23T07:10:53","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T11:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=554980"},"modified":"2020-06-23T07:10:53","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T11:10:53","slug":"sam-long-signs-new-two-year-deal-at-oxford-united","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/06\/23\/sam-long-signs-new-two-year-deal-at-oxford-united\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Long Signs New Two-Year Deal at Oxford United"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oxford United<\/a> defender Sam Long<\/a> has agreed on a new two-year deal with the club.<\/p>\n

The 25-year-old, who came through the ranks with the U’s, would have seen his current contract expire at the end of the month.<\/p>\n

Sam Long Signs New Two-Year Deal at Oxford United<\/h2>\n

Longest Serving Player<\/h3>\n

The Bicester-born full-back is the longest-serving player at the club, having joined as an eight-year-old. The new deal will see him stay at the club just short of two decades.<\/p>\n

The full-back made his debut in April 2013. During that time, he has made 81 appearances under five different managers.<\/p>\n

His best spell as an Oxford player has come in the last two seasons under the current manager, Karl Robinson, having put numerous injury issues behind him.<\/p>\n

What Was Said<\/h3>\n

Speaking to the Oxford Mail<\/a>, Long was relieved to finally sign. He said: “Massively, there’s such a big pool of players out of contract this year and I’ve been in negotiations with\u00a0Oxford\u00a0for a while now.<\/p>\n

“I’m just really glad to get it over the line and have a bit of security for myself. Hopefully, we can kick on now and get promoted.”<\/p>\n

Time Away From Oxford<\/h3>\n

During his time at Oxford, Long has spent time away on loan. In 2014, he joined Kidderminster Harriers in a deal that saw Chey Dunkley<\/a> join the U’s. Upon his return two months later, he scored his first of three Oxford goals in a defeat against Southend United. He also spent time at Hampton and Richmond Borough in 2018.<\/p>\n

He was at the club when they secured promotion to League One under Michael Appleton in 2015\/16 but rarely featured as a result of injuries.<\/p>\n

Depth of Squad<\/h3>\n

At the moment, Long is the only right-back at the club. In fact, the defence as a whole needs reinvestment in the summer.<\/p>\n

Regardless of what league Oxford find themselves in next season, Long could have a key role to play for the U’s given the lack of depth at the squad, but he may also be asked to fight once again for a place if new arrivals are made.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>