Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has backed Tottenham Hotspur to sign Newcastle winger Allan Saint-Maximin this summer, believing he would be the ‘perfect’ replacement for Steven Bergwijn.
The Lowdown: Spurs interested in Saint-Maximin
The Frenchman first made the switch to the Premier League when he joined the Magpies in an initial £16.5m move from Nice three years ago, where he’s gone on to become a fan favourite at St. James’ Park having made 93 appearances for the northeast outfit to date.
According to the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel, the Lilywhites are interested in securing the 25-year-old’s signature during the upcoming transfer window. However, it won’t be an easy task to prise him away from Eddie Howe’s side given the fact that he’s still got four years remaining on his contract.
The Latest: Robinson’s ‘perfect’ replacement claim
Speaking during an interview with Football Insider, Robinson suggested that Saint-Maximin would be a ‘great’ addition for Spurs, but doesn’t think that he would entertain making the move to north London. He told correspondent Dylan Childs:
“Saint-Maximin is the type of player Spurs should sign if they lose Bergwijn. He’d be perfect.
“Listen, they have got [Lucas] Moura, [Dejan] Kulusevski and Son [Heung-min] to play out wide but I’d still expect another to come in.
“Somebody like Saint-Maximin would be great. I cannot see Saint-Maximin leaving Newcastle though, in all honesty.
“That club is going in the right direction. They are going to bring in players and they can offer players what they want in terms of contracts.
“I find it difficult to believe that he would swap a starting role at Newcastle for a bit-part role at Spurs. Saint-Maximin would not start at Spurs. I’m not sure that role would be appealing to him as much as I’d like to see it.”
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The Verdict: Remain at Newcastle
Saint-Maximin has had a hugely positive impact on Newcastle’s starting XI this season, scoring five goals and registering five assists in the top-flight, as per Transfermarkt, and he surely wouldn’t consider leaving the Toon Army unless he was guaranteed regular playing elsewhere.
Once hailed as a “breathtaking” player by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, he has proven to be a real handful for opposition defenders in the final third this campaign, averaging 4.3 dribbles and 1.8 shots per league game, via WhoScored.
That being said, already with the likes of Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski in the building, Saint-Maximin would still probably be below them in the Italian’s pecking order, so Conte should perhaps shop for a younger player who will be happy to play a bit-part role as they develop from the ground up.
In other news… a Spurs insider has dropped an ‘exciting’ Harry Kane contract claim.