When Allan Saint-Maximin signed for Newcastle United, excitement reigned over on Tyneside.
The French winger built a reputation as an incredibly talented dribbler, and while far from the finished product, there was a lot of promise there if he took the right steps.
Eased into the starting XI at first due to niggling injuries, Saint-Maximin eventually became a first-team regular under Steve Bruce towards the back end of last season, showcasing exactly what he could do with a bit of form and consistency.
He’s taken some of that into this season, where he’s managed to pick up a goal and an assist in his first three league games.
Now in his second year on this side of the Channel, Saint-Maximin is still only 23 and has big ambitions for his career.
Whether he fulfils them at Newcastle, however, depends on him and on the club, which he’s aware of, as he explained in an interview with Sport.fr in France.
Asked if he’s thinking about staying in the North-East for the long run, he replied: “The club has a lot of ambition and everyone followed the news around Newcastle regarding the change of ownership that never was. There’s a lot of big investors who are trying to buy the club, and we also have an owner who invests quite a lot of money to strengthen the team and help it continue its progress.
“As for me, all will depend on that progress. If the club evolves well and it’s in line with my desires, staying is a possibility. After that, if things don’t go that way, of course the question of an exit will be asked. For now, we’re in a huge league with a lot of big teams, so to play Europe and the Europa League, that would be really good. The Champions League is a big dream, every footballer wants to play in it.
“It’s a big club, a historical one that has a lot of dream and there’s everything around it to get to that goal”.
A very honest answer from an ambitious player, and there’s no doubt Saint-Maximin will want to help Newcastle achieve those goals going forward.
That’s normally helped by the fans, who have unfortunately not been able to go to the stadium due to Covid-19, but regardless, the winger is thrilled to be playing in such a passionate city.
He added: “At Newcastle, they have a very reputable stadium. The fans live for the club and it’s different than in London, for example, where there’s a lot of clubs in the same city. THere’s only one club here and all the fans are behind us. A lot of fervour, shouts, crazy things… It’s the city of football. Every game has 50,000 people. There’s a huge atmosphere around the Magpies. It’s very pleasing”.
