Allan Saint-Maximin has shown glimpses of excellence since the Premier League restarted but can the young Frenchman enhance his career staying at Newcastle?
The speedy and tricky winger arrived from Nice in August 2019 in a deal worth £16m, committing himself to a six-year contract with the Magpies. After Steve Bruce joined Newcastle as the new manager, one of the first signings he made was acquiring the services of the Frenchman.
Saint-Maximin seems to have been a great buy, picking his game up since the restart. He hasn’t been the most prolific winger/forward this season but when he has the ball at his feet he looks dangerous going forward.
He has only played 21 matches in the Premier League, starting in 18 of them compared to when he played for Nice, playing 34 matches and starting in 34. He, however, has started his last 5 games for Newcastle scoring a goal apiece against Sheffield United and Southampton while recently providing 3 assists aginst Bournemouth where the Magpies won 4-1.
It seems that Saint-Maximin is slowly adapting to the pace of the Premier League and what Steve Bruce wants out of the winger. But is Newcastle the best club for him right now or is another Premier League team going to snatch him up?
Another season needed at Newcastle
After arriving at Newcastle, Saint-Maximin picked up a hamstring injury in August 2019 followed by a string of other injuries, which had him miss almost the entire first half of the season. With missing so many matches, you begin to wonder if his stats would be different right now.
The Frenchman owes it to himself to give a full season to the Magpies in the 2020/2021 campaign, stay fit and show the Premier League what he is made of. He is not afraid to take on defenders with his mesmerising dribbling ability and has the confidence to do so.
The Toons manager believes that Saint-Maximin was a bargain buy considering what they paid for him versus what he has to offer.
"Tell me another one better than that, especially with the kind of money that teams were spending pre-lockdown? I’m not so sure there’ll be the same huge amounts spent after lockdown, but if you look at what he’s producing and what he is, then I think we’ve probably got the buy of the season. (Via: The Northern Echo)"
According to reports, however, the French starlet is requesting a pay increase to align with his six-year contract and if his requirements are not met his agents will be looking at offers coming in despite Bruce being confident that Saint-Maximin will stay another season.
Big things happening next season
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With the almost certain takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Newcastle will have a huge influx of cash.
If Bruce can get the right players in, then Saint-Maximin will or could be part of something great. There would be a better quality kind of player around him and may help him thrive even more for the Toons.
The downfall about the takeover is that the Saudis may want a more competent manager and with a new manager comes new tactics and strategies. In this case, depending on the transfers coming in Saint-Maximin may be surplus to the new plans as well.
Irrespective of whether he stays or goes the end of the season, one thing is for sure, he is making a name for himself at Newcastle. If he continues to perform as he has in recent weeks, some teams may just come knocking on Newcastle’s door.
At only 23-years-old he still has his whole career ahead of him, so giving Newcastle another season where he can get game time will be beneficial to his growth as a professional footballer and gaining much needed EPL experience.