Liam Kennedy of the Shields Gazette has been discussing Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin during a recent edition of NUFC Matters with Steve Wraith.
According to recent reports, the 23-year-old is the subject of interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers prompting a listener to raise the subject during the show. The Frenchman joined the Magpies last summer from Nice in a deal reportedly worth £16.2m (as per Transfermarkt.co.uk) and here is what the journalist had to say with regards to the winger.
“It’s absolutely no surprise to see certain parties being interested in a player like Allan Saint-Maximin.
“Let’s be brutally honest about his season – and people might not like this – but he has actually blown hot and cold. Injuries really hampered him largely at the start of the season but before lockdown, he was in and out. There wasn’t really an end product but he really turned it on for about six to seven of those last ten games of the season. Did he put himself in a shop window? I don’t know.
“He’s a name on the tip of everybody’s tongue who watches Premier League football because he’s so exciting. Will he leave? No, I suspect he’ll probably still be here next season.”
TIF Thoughts…
According to WhoScored.com, Saint-Maximin’s average performance rating in the Premier League during the 2019/20 season was 7.29/10, making him the club’s most consistent player. The winger is renowned for his dribbling ability and he leads the way amongst his peers in that department, completing an average of 4.7 dribbles per game.
Kennedy mentioned that in his view, the player has ‘blown hot and cold’ at times but we believe there is an argument that says that could have been the case in his first season of Premier League football.
Are you confident Saint-Maximin will start the new season as a Newcastle player?
Yes
No
Saint-Maximin has shown he can be effective from either flank and through the centre of Newcastle United’s attack (as per WhoScored.com) and we suspect that if the proposed takeover of the club is completed, he will be one of the players the fans will be happy to see remain at St. James’ Park.