In a recent interview with the Mirror’s print edition (via Birmingham Mail), Stan Collymore urged Aston Villa to land Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin this summer. Collymore said,
“I like Allan Saint-Maximin – he has pace, skills and attitude.
“If I were in charge of recruitment at an upwardly mobile club such as West Ham, Everton, Leeds or Aston Villa I’d take a punt on him. Newcastle have done their dough on Joe Willock.
“And, if the second half of their game against West Ham is anything to go by, the Geordies need to stiffen up their defensive unit and maybe therefore be tempted with a cash deal.”
Saint-Maximin’s Recent Injury Worries At Tyneside
Saint-Maximin had a campaign of mixed emotions at St. James’ Park recently as he caught the eye at times for them but frequent injuries have often disrupted his progress over the past year. The French wing wizard featured in 26 matches for the Magpies last season, scoring two goals and providing two assists in multiple competitions.
However, the ex-OGC Nice talent found some consistency with his all-around contributions in the opposition half after he averaged 1.2 shots, 1.2 key passes and 3.8 dribbles per 90 minutes in the 2020-21 Premier League campaign. He also took care of the ball well when linking up play with his teammates out on the wide areas based on his pass completion rate of 82.5% in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Is Saint-Maximin The Right Fit For The Villans?
Saint-Maximin is one of the quickest wingers in Premier League football and can often turn on the afterburners to leave his marker to bite the dust out on the left flank. He is an exciting dribbler with the ball at his feet and can create some decent openings for others around him in the final third.
The French wide player can score some important goals for his side when he is playing with confidence on the field. However, he missed a lot of games because of multiple injuries, so there are some concerns over his long-term health in English football which makes him a risky option for the Villans to consider this summer.
Still, on his day, Saint-Maximin can be a joy to watch as he has got the ability to take over and change the course of the match. Smith can use someone of the Newcastle winger’s skill set at Villa Park this season. He could even serve as an ideal replacement for Jack Grealish, who joined Manchester City earlier this summer. All in all, Saint-Maximin will be a good fit for the West Midlands outfit as long as he can steer clear of injuries in the coming seasons.
