Allan Saint-Maximin’s Newcastle United future is a topic of great discussion amongst the Toon Army and now it seems the mercurial Frenchman almost left the club in January.
Saint-Maximin has his die hard fans at Newcastle, but there are also those who believe his time at the club could be coming to an end as he doesn’t seem to suit Eddie Howe‘s play style.
It hasn’t been the best of seasons for the 26-year-old, with several injuries and inconsistent form keeping him out of the starting line-up. Now, in an interview with Sky Sports, he’s told Keith Downie that he almost left the club in January: “I had the opportunity to go to another club in January but the club said they want me to stay and that I’m important.
“When you feel that the club, the manager and every single person in Newcastle wants you then, of course, you want to stay.
“But the day I don’t have that feeling for sure I will have no other choice but to go to the place that really wants me. I don’t think about that now. I’m really focused on my goal – which is helping Newcastle try and reach the Champions League.
“After that, I will think about what is best for me and I will have a chat with the club and the manager about what they want and I will have to make a decision for sure. But I really want to see myself and my future here in Newcastle.”
“I haven’t played as much this season because the team was doing so well when I was injured, but I’m happy to fight for my place,” Saint-Maximin added. “I’m more mature now than when I joined the club three-and-half years ago and I’m ready for everything.”
Saint-Maximin mentions his maturity and that’s a huge thing when it comes to finding yourself on the bench on a regular basis. It’s good to hear that he knows why he’s not been playing and that he’s willing to fight for his place while supporting the team’s efforts.
One of my worries with Maxi has always been that he’s a solo player. It’s often the case with players like him who have a plethora of tricks up their sleeve, that they’re more about individual glory than teamwork, and maybe Maxi was like that in the past, but it seems that’s no longer the case.
His ability has never been in question, we’ve seen pundits praise him at his absolute best with the likes of Micah Richards calling him ‘outstanding‘. We know we’ve got a true talent on our hands, it’s consistency that’s been the issue.
I’m still of the impression that he’ll be a casualty of the rebuild this summer as I don’t think he fits Howe’s way, and I’ve written about it a lot, but it doesn’t come from me wanting him to go. It’s about wanting the team to succeed and if players don’t fit, then we can’t carry them for sentimental reasons.
I’d love nothing more than for Howe and Saint-Maximin to finally click together and we can start to see the best of him again, and it definitely sounds like that’s what he wants to achieve, so maybe there is a future for him at Newcastle. If so, I’m here for it.
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