After being taken over at the end of last year, Newcastle United are a club very much on the up. However, although the club is expected to go through several periods of transformation, one player who looked almost certain to be part of the new era, was winger Allan Saint-Maximin.
According to recent reports, that isn’t the case though with Newcastle United’s new Saudi owners ready to cash in on the explosive Frenchman.
That’s according to a report from the Daily Mail, who claim the Magpies’ new owners will give the green light for Saint-Maximin to be sold, as long as a bid of £50m comes in.
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Since joining from French side Nice back in 2019, the 25-year-old attacker, who has four years left on his deal, has grown to become a fan-favourite, scoring 12 goals and assisting another 14 in his first 84 appearances.
Best known for his ridiculously good dribbling and electrically paced afterburners, the talented attacker can, when fully fit and firing, can win games all by himself.
Discussing the impact Saint-Maximin can have on games, manager Eddie Howe, who spoke recently about the Frenchman, as quoted by the Mirror, said: “I think over coaching him is a negative. Part of the strength of Allan is that you can almost let him do his stuff – but he needs to be free to do that.
“You don’t want him over-thinking the game because his natural talent is so impulsive. So I’ve tried to strike that balance. I don’t hear or read comments (from fans about ASM), but it’s also healthy because it means I judge him on what I see and I’ve got very high expectations for Maxi as I have seen what he can deliver when he is at his best.
“You go back to the Everton game at home and he was absolutely electric that day, very, very difficult to play against. I judge him on those levels. You have to understand each player’s strengths and weaknesses.”
However, despite Howe’s positive verdict, the winger’s attributes alone are unlikely to be enough to secure his future in England’s North East with Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa reportedly interested in luring the attacker to Villa Park.