For many years, fans of Newcastle United have been able to point to a maverick within their team who may not turn up every week, but when he does you certainly know about it. David Ginola, Laurent Robert, Hatem Ben Arfa etc.
The latest occasionally magic man getting the Geordies on the edge of their seats is French youngster Allan Saint-Maximin. Pacey, exciting, vibrant, he’s even pretty funny on Twitter! The 22-year-old has it all.
But (you knew it was coming Newcastle fans), unfortunately for Newcastle, their identity has changed. They’re not the gung-ho Kevin Keegan-style ‘we’ll score more than you’ side of the 90s, they’re not the Alan ‘I don’t really know what I’m doing so will just hope we score more than you’ Pardew side of a decade ago.
Only Stevenage, the side bottom of the Football League, have scored fewer than Steve Bruce’s men this season, and that’s not to say Bruce isn’t doing exactly what he’s been tasked with, but luxury players like Saint-Maximin don’t fit the mould. Meanwhile, there has even been (denied) talk of a falling out.
When the summer transfer window opens, Saint-Maximin could well be on his way to the St James’ Park exit door faster than Mike Ashley can try and rebrand him The Sports Direct Allan Saint-Maximin.
Here we look at who should snap up the mercurial youngster.
Crystal Palace
Let’s be honest Palace fans, Wilfred Zaha isn’t hanging around forever. The Selhurst Park cult hero has been a fantastic servant for the club, but with every transfer window the winger courts yet more and more Premier League clubs with the hope of a move. The 27-year-old was recently quoted as saying he feels he ‘can’t say no’ should the opportunity of a big move arise.
Saint-Maximin may not be at the level of Zaha yet, but he has time on his side. Much like Zaha, he’s tricky, direct, pacey, at times infuriating and invisible, but he has all the hallmarks of a potentially world-class prospect.
Plus, you’d probably have a few quid left over from buying him once Arsenal have panicked and spent £200m on Zaha.
Everton
Transfer gossip wouldn’t be transfer gossip without mentioning Zaha at least twice. The Toffees' very public pursuit of Zaha in last summer’s transfer window was no secret and don’t be shocked to see them knocking on the Selhurst Park door again this summer.
Everton eventually settled for Alex Iwobi, but the Nigerian has failed to really have the impact his £40m fee should command. A midfield full of endeavour with the likes of Bernardo and Sigurðsson, but lacking any real flare.
Saint-Maximin ticks all of the boxes Everton are looking to tick. Under Steve Bruce, in a team set up not to get beat, the young Frenchman is never going to reach his full potential, but Everton are a far different outfit under Ancelotti. The Italian’s first spell in England saw him get the best out of Florent Malouda as he produced his best combined goals and assists tally in a Chelsea shirt. Under Ancelotti’s stewardship, Saint-Maximin could become a superstar.
Wolves
The set up at Molineux is perfect for Saint-Maximin. Their 4-3-3 formation with two wide forwards either side of Raul Jimenez has seen the likes of Adama Traore flourish in the Premier League. While Saint-Maximin may not quite possess Traore’s freakish pace, he is similar to the Spaniard in his ability to breeze past a man and his unpredictability.
While Traore was far from a novice when he arrived at Wolves, the job Nuno Espirito Santo has done to further unlock his potential cannot be downplayed. Were he to do the same with Saint-Maximin they’d have some frontline on their hands.
Chelsea
Bear with me.
Chelsea’s squad is brimming with talent, that cannot be denied. However, since the departure of Eden Hazard, they’ve yet to really replace the Belgian with a similar enigmatic player who can turn a game on its head. Yes, they’re a team full of endeavour and creativity, but the likes of Pedro, Willian and Kovacic aren’t the sort that will get the Stamford Bridge faithful on the edge of their seats whenever they get the ball.
Chelsea lack a 'plan B' since Hazard left, because their plan B (or sometimes plan A) was give the ball to Hazard and hope he does something. Saint-Maximin has that ability to pull something out of nowhere – just watch some of his goals on YouTube if you don’t believe me – he’s not the player Hazard is (obviously), but he’s exciting and that’s what Chelsea are lacking.
Source : 90min