Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin may not be a player who is viewed by Eddie Howe as a long-term option on Tyneside.
What’s the latest?
The future of the Frenchman has been questioned recently with his game time at St. James’ Park taking a hit in the last few months.
For a player who was once a key figure in the starting XI, Saint-Maximin has watched the majority of the 2022/23 campaign from the sidelines.
There have been reports recently suggesting the Serie A champions, AC Milan, are a side who do currently hold an interest in the 25-year-old with just days remaining of the winter window.
And speaking to Football FanCast, insider Dean Jones has claimed from conversations he has had, he gets the impression Saint-Maximin is not viewed as a long-term option anymore:
“He hasn’t been starting games. So do they really need this player? And also given the way that [Eddie] Howe is shaping up this team, and conversations I continue to have, I’m not convinced that Saint-Maximin is actually going to be part of it long-term.”
Fallen down the pecking order
The 2022/23 campaign may have come as a major shock for Saint-Maximin who has gone from fan-favourite to waiting in the background for an opportunity.
It was only a matter of months ago when the likes of Tottenham Hotspur’s director of football, Fabio Paratici, was reported as being a fan of Saint-Maximin following his impressive displays for the Toon.
However, the 25-year-old now appears to be no more than a rotational option off the bench for Howe who has handed the winger just 479 minutes in the Premier League this season.
Is ASM good enough for where Newcastle want to go?
Yes
No
It has to be remembered Saint-Maximin – previously hailed “magnificent” by journalist Chris Waugh – did struggle for a large portion of the beginning of the season through injuries which saw him miss eight league games.
However, having returned to the squad, the Frenchman has simply been unable to stake his claim in Howe’s starting XI with his last eight league games coming as a substitute.
Although he has only made four league starts this season, compared to 31 last term, Saint-Maximin has already provided three assists compared to the five from last season (via Fbref).
And with this in mind, we do wonder what he would be able to produce if he was able to earn a run of games from the starting XI in this impressive Newcastle side.
However, when Howe is opting to push Joelinton back up to left-wing and put in a central midfielder in his place, it does feel as if those opportunities are going to be difficult to come by for the 25-year-old.