According to a recent report by The Sun, Everton are keeping tabs on the progress of Newcastle United wide player Allan Saint-Maximin ahead of a potential move in the summer. However, the same source has also claimed that the Toffees will face stiff competition from Crystal Palace in pursuit of the French speedster at the end of this campaign.
Saint-Maximum’s Impressive Spell At St. James’ Park So Far
It has been a season of mixed emotions for the 22-year-old so far as he has managed to put in a string of eye-catching performances despite missing several matches due to various injuries. He has featured in 21 matches for the Magpies in this campaign, netting three goals and providing four assists in all competitions. Saint-Maximin has been somewhat productive going forward but deserves more credit because of Steve Bruce’s rigid 5-4-1 formation which has hampered his attacking potential.
The Newcastle boss has often taken a defensive approach during this Premier League season which explains why all of his attacking options have struggled to find consistency in the final third. Even then, Saint-Maximin has averaged 1.7 shots, 1.3 key passes and 4.4 dribbles per game in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored). The French winger is one of the quickest wingers in English football and the stats prove that he doesn’t mind putting his pace to good use by completing some dangerous dribbles down the left flank.
The ex-AS Monaco prospect has also represented France at various youth levels but is yet to earn a senior call-up for his nation. If he can stay injury-free and improve his offensive numbers, then there is a chance that he might catch the attention of Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps in the coming years.
What Will The French Wing Wizard Bring To Goodison Park?
As mentioned earlier, Saint-Maximum can turn on the afterburners to beat his marker in a 1v1 footrace and excels at making penetrative runs with the ball in the opposition half. He can also link up play well with others around him and usually packs a lot of power with his shots at goal. However, the rest of the French winger’s overall game is still quite rough around the edges, which means that Carlo Ancelotti will need to be patient with him if he can successfully bring him to Merseyside in the off-season.
Saint-Maximum will not only add some natural width to the Toffees attack but will also give their Italian boss the option to show more flexibility with his formation and tactics next season. Even though the Newcastle winger is far from a finished product, the pros outweigh the cons of signing him. Hence, it makes a lot of sense for Everton to orchestrate a summer move to bring the Frenchman to Goodison Park.
The 22-year-old will be surrounded by more attack-minded players in Ancelotti’s first-team, which could help unlock his true potential. Furthermore, the former Ligue 1 attacker can also be an excellent impact substitute as his blistering pace will cause all sorts of problems for the opposition defenders especially when their legs start to get tired during the latter stages of a match.
