Macaulay Langstaff explains decision behind leaving Millwall and signing for Salford

Macaulay Langstaff explains the decision behind leaving Championship outfit Millwall and signing for Salford City of League Two.

It’s been quite the summer of change for the Ammies, reverting back to orange, a change of manager, incomings and outgoings, and the biggest news to date, their newest addition.

Langstaff drops down two leagues, in a huge boost to Salford’s hopes of getting into League One. The club have also signed the likes of Abraham Odoh (from Peterborough), Sam Long (from Bromley), Will Norris (turned down deal with Wycombe), Will Aimson (Wigan contract expired) and Joe Powell (Rotherham contract expired).

Defeat to Notts County in the playoff final means Salford are preparing for an eighth season in the fourth tier.

He said, as per Salford’s website: “I’m really happy to be here! I’ve got a lot more experience now, I spent a really good two years there [Millwall], it’s a top club and the level is really tough, but it’s a lot of quality there and hopefully I can translate that level from the Championship back to League Two.

“I think that’s what we’re all in football for to be successful, win promotions. A couple of the best days of my life have been promotions and I want another one.

“I’ve come here with a lot of ambition, I really want to be successful with Salford City and I want to win promotion so I’m really excited to get started and hopefully we can achieve that this season.

“First and foremost I can’t wait to meet them [the fans]. It’s one of the first things you want to do, meet the fans around the place, then obviously start playing games and meeting the fans that way, so my message to them is turn up in your numbers, keep on singing loud, and I’ll try and repay that support on the pitch.”

Favourite TV series? 📺
Go-to pre-match meal? 🥞
Beach holiday or city break? 🏝️🌃

Get to know Macaulay Langstaff with these quickfire questions ℹ️ pic.twitter.com/VPmXdSmKHR

— Salford City FC (@SalfordCityFC) July 4, 2026

He continued: “I was playing against Salford when they were in the National League North, the National League, and in League Two as well, so I am really proud of my journey. A lot of players come through the academy route and get a scholarship, and earn professional contracts that way.

“My football journey started really late, but it’s one that I’m really grateful for, and I’ve never taken for granted because I know how hard it was to get here and I’ve really appreciated my journey so far.

“I like to press from the front, I like to win the ball back. Out of possession I try to win the ball back high and try and score goals that way, that’s my way of repaying the team creating chances for me so I try and work as hard as I can first and foremost.

“I’m a goalscorer, at this level, I’ve scored a lot of goals previously. But I think I’ve shown over the last couple of years at Millwall, I played a bit of a different role, it was a bit deeper, more of a 10 role, so I’ve shown I can do something else apart from just scoring goals.

“It’s what I like to do, scoring goals, but I like to work hard for the team and try and win the ball back as high up the pitch as I can.”

On signing for Salford: “From the first phone call with the owners and realising how ambitious they are, people speak about projects and it’s a little bit of a cliché sometimes, but when you get on the phone to people who have been really successful in this industry and others, you realise how ambitious they are and it is motivating. You get off the phone to them and you do feel a million dollars because when they’re motivated, it does rub off on you.

“The phones calls with the owners attracted me to the football club, then you speak to the people around the Club, the like of the manager and the playing staff, they speak about how good of a Club it is, how well ran it is, and it was a no-brainer in the end.

“I spoke to him [Peter Cklamovski] on the phone and it was the first thing he said, and my eyes lit up because as a forward you want to play attacking football, you want to create as many chances as you can for me and for others, so when he said that I was really, really happy.

“He seemed like a top guy, he seemed like he wants to work really hard, he wants his team to work really hard, and that suits me down to the ground.

“When I speak to people at the Club, see the signings they’ve made and the squad they’ve already got, there’s only one thing this Club should be going for. That’s promotion, so that’s what I’m here to achieve.”

Millwall Football Club can confirm that Macaulay Langstaff has today joined Salford City for an undisclosed fee.

Everyone at the club would like to thank Macaulay and wish him the best for the future.

— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) July 3, 2026

Millwall said: “Millwall Football Club can confirm that Macaulay Langstaff has joined Sky Bet League Two side Salford City for an undisclosed fee.

“The 29-year-old striker, who joined The Lions from Notts County in the summer of 2024, made 76 appearances for the club across two seasons, scoring five times, including three matchwinners and a last-gasp equaliser against Leicester City at the back end of 2025/26.

“Everyone at the club would like to thank Macaulay for his hard work whilst with The Lions and wish him the best for the future.”

LANGSTAFF’S CAREER:

Youth
2007–2010 – Middlesbrough
2010–2014 – Boro Rangers
2014 – Stockton Town

Senior
2014–2015 – Stockton Town
2015–2017 – Billingham Synthonia
2017–2018 – Gateshead – 5 games (0 goals)
2017 → Billingham Synthonia (loan)
2017–2018 → Blyth Spartans (loan) – 17 games (0 goals)
2018–2020 – York City – 60 games (11 goals)
2019 → Bradford (Park Avenue) (loan) – 5 games (1 goal)
2020 → Blyth Spartans (loan) – 3 games (0 goals)
2020–2022 – Gateshead – 62 games (36 goals)
2022–2024 – Notts County – 97 games (71 goals)
2024–2026 – Millwall – 76 games (5 goals)
2026– Salford City

Here’s the social media reaction as Macaulay Langstaff explains the decision behind leaving Millwall and signing for Salford…

@ExiledBen: Apparently they paid 700k for him. How are we even meant to compete 🤣

@allnuttsarewe: Gary Neville splashing his ITV world cup fee.

@Thecityvent: Wow, that’s a ridiculous signing for league two.

@WrexhamTN: Sign Paul Mullin and you will have fifty goals between them

@DannyMajor2: No offence lads but he’s way too good for league two. Some signing that 👏🏻

@COYRCOYRCOYR: Well that’s just ridiculous isn’t it

@mccarthy_m71852: Fans at millwall took to Macaulay, a real grafter, always gave 100%, a team player, sorry it didn’t work out as we all wanted, we wish him well and scores the goals we know he can.

@hennessey82: Got a great signing in Langstaff, honest hardworking player who will bang in the goals for them.

@archwhitaker18: He’s gonna tear up league 2 for you!

@TGSUK_2017: If Salford don’t go up then it’ll be the biggest fumble in the league going. Can’t be having a big name striker like langstaff and not get promoted

@HPackham17: Love Langstaff but considering he scored 5 goals in about 70 games it’s great business to recoup the fee. He’ll piss it at Salford and can see him being back at high league one/lower champ level fairly soon.

@Venom_MFC: Langstaff to Salford then. #Millwall did great to recoup the money we spent on him from Notts County. He’ll absolutely smash it in League 2 again but I am surprised Notts County didn’t move for him. Popped up with some extremely important goals this season.