Allan Saint-Maximin is "an option for Saudi Arabia" this summer as the former Nice man is no longer "in Eddie Howes plans", claims transfers expert Graham Bailey.
Newcastle transfer news – What's the latest on Allan Saint-Maximin?
The Toon finally made their grand entrance into this summer's transfer window last week when they announced the £55m signing of AC Milan star and Italian international Sandro Tonali.
The transfer has been viewed by some, such as The Athletic's George Caulkin, as a transformative moment, a moment in which the Magpies truly announce themselves as a new club among the Premier League elite.
However, this bar to which the Toon will be held means that some of their stars over the last five or six years are becoming surplus to requirements, none more so than the ever-popular figure, Saint-Maximin.
The Frenchman arrived in Tyneside from Nice in the summer of 2019 and made an instant impact on his new Geordie fanbase. It was his attacking threat and style of play more than anything that won fans over, he was helping them to win games, and he looked like he genuinely loved doing it.
However, with the takeover 18 months ago, the arrival of new talent and the revised expectation to challenge for Champions League places, the tricky winger has seen his minutes dramatically dwindle.
This has led to reported interest from teams like Everton and AC Milan, but also teams in the burgeoning and ludicrously wealthy Saudi Pro League, per Graham Bailey.
He explained the situation on the Talking Transfers podcast, saying:
"He is an option for Saudi Arabia, they're looking at him. He's not going to get a new contract at Newcastle. He's still got, I think, 2026, I think his contract ends, he signed a huge deal when he arrived, and he wanted a new deal. He's not going to get one. Last season showed he didn't, he started about a dozen games, he's not in, not in Eddie Howe's plans to start games regularly."
Was Allan Saint-Maximin good last season?
It was a tough season for the fan favourite at St. James' Park last year, from being a star player during the club's worst times in recent years to being left to rot on the bench whilst the side went on and qualified for the Champions League.
According to WhoScored, the winger who was once labelled "magic” only started just 12 Premier League games under Eddie Howe, for which he did manage to produce five assists, one goal and an average rating of 6.8.
In the league campaign before last, he started 31 games and has never started fewer than 19 since breaking into senior football in the 2016/17 season, indicating that his reduced role last year was probably tough to take.
He is a frustrating footballer because there are some elements of the game at which he is elite, but then some fairly major aspects in which he is considerably worse than the average player and his underlying numbers reflect this reality perfectly.
According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, he sits in the top 1% for progressive carries and successful take-ons, the top 4% for assists and expected assists, the top 8% for touches in the oppositions' penalty area, the top 9% for shot-creating actions and the top 12% for progressive passes, all per 90.
Those statistics look unbelievable in a vacuum, but FBref also places the player in the bottom 9% for non-penalty goals, the bottom 13% for non-penalty expected goals, the bottom 36% for pass completion and the bottom 46% for attempted passes, per 90 minutes.
With that information, it's clear that whilst his unpredictability was an added benefit for a team desperately trying to avoid relegation, for a team that needs to consistently win their games to qualify for European football, he can become a bit of a liability.
It is probably time for the Toon to move on from the exciting winger, but he'll likely remain beloved at St. James' Park.
