Eddie Howe has transformed the careers of so many Newcastle players since his appointment.
For all the talk of big money signings at the club since the takeover, it is the work done on the coaching pitch that best underlines quite what a job Howe has done at Newcastle.
Joelinton, Fabian Schar, Joe Willock and Miguel Almiron have all scaled new heights under his watch, helping propel the club back into the Champions League.
Still, there has been one slight disappointment.
So often the shining light during the bleak Steve Bruce years, Allan Saint-Maximin has failed to fire on a regular basis.
Now, the signing of Harvey Barnes could force him out.
Allan Saint-Maximin could be sold to make space for Harvey Barnes
On Friday night, news emerged that Newcastle were expected to sign Leicester City winger Barnes for around £35m.
Indeed, The Guardian actually provided some further insight.
They claim that, barring a late dramatic development, Barnes will be on Tyneside next week.
As a result, Saint-Maximin could be sold. They suggest clubs in the Saudi Pro League are interested and the Frenchman may be a victim of the signing of Barnes.
End of an era
Under Bruce, Newcastle largely relied on either Saint-Maximin or Callum Wilson to shine on an individual basis to get through games.
These days, however, they are much more of a coherent team.
While Barnes may not catch the eye quite as much as Saint-Maximin at his best, those days are just few and far between.
Though described as “unplayable” by Frank Lampard for a particular standout performance in 2022, the winger has never actually matched Barnes in terms of tangible output.
Saint-Maximin has never scored more than six goals or registered more than seven assists during his professional career at senior, while the last time Barnes figured that low was during a loan at Barnsley in 2017/18.
Sadly for Saint-Maximin, Newcastle need reliability and he just does not offer that regularly enough.
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