Allan Saint-Maximin reportedly wants fresh terms at Newcastle United to reflect his importance to the team, according to The Daily Mail.
What’s the latest Newcastle United transfer news?
Saint-Maximin’s future is an interesting subject.
Now, clearly, few would doubt his impact on the Newcastle team since he joined from Nice in 2019. So often the saviour during the Steve Bruce years, the 25-year-old is a hugely popular figure on social media and a thrilling talent to watch on his day.
Still, there is little doubt the Frenchman has struggled of late. An injury picked up against Aston Villa in February has derailed his progress but his performances during the losses at Everton and Tottenham left a lot to be desired.
According to the report, the club would consider selling the forward for a price of around £50m this summer, with Villa themselves said to be keen. Saint-Maximin, meanwhile, is understood to have wanted fresh terms to reflect his importance to the team.
Does Saint-Maximin deserve a new contract?
It’s certainly worth keeping in mind the club handed Saint-Maximin a new contract on improved terms as recently as October 2020.
Indeed, that agreement – running until the summer of 2026 – was said to have moved the player to the highest pay bracket at Newcastle. According to The Sun, he’s on wages of around £72k-per-week.
At his best, it’s hard to suggest Newcastle should sell Saint-Maximin. Understood to remain a huge favourite under the PIF ownership, only Jonjo Shelvey in the 2019-20 season and Callum Wilson during the 2020-21 campaign have mustered more goal contributions.
While Saint-Maximin’s numbers for goals and assists might not instantly jump out, the former French U21 international has been one of the most creative players in a team largely playing a fairly bleak brand of football under Bruce. With better players around him, it’ll be fascinating to see what Saint-Maximin can do.
However, the owners cannot be held to ransom. Only relatively recently (albeit under a different regime) was Saint-Maximin handed a new deal and merely blindly agreeing to keep upping his money just to keep him does not seem like the best business strategy. Over the course of the January transfer window, Eddie Howe wanted to keep the wage structure in tact and, as good as the Frenchman can be, no player is bigger than the club.
What has been said about Saint-Maximin?
Speaking on Sky Sports during Sunday’s 5-1 loss at Tottenham, Newcastle hero David Ginola spoke in glowing terms of his compatriot.
“What is interesting is that Newcastle is a new project with their new investments. They have to keep hold of their assets,” he said (via The Daily Mail).
“It’s important for them to keep hold of them. He is the jewel in Newcastle’s crown. He has brought some excitement to the team however no enough to change a game.”
