DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
Allan Saint-Maximin, the maverick winger who’s the talk of the Toon
THERE are myriad reasons why Newcastle paid French club Nice just £16million for Allan Saint-Maximin last summer. Here was an enfant terrible, a maverick who was expelled from the illustrious Clairefontaine academy aged 12 and whose social-media posts included drinking in a nightclub after his team had lost, as well as pictures of his bank account.
There were accusations of feigning illness to miss a game, a car crash involving a tram — after which it was reported he produced a fake driving licence — and questions over his attitude.
Nice boss Patrick Vieira said: ‘ Allan’s problem is that he thinks talent is enough to go to the highest level. He needs to understand that he needs to work, to make sacrifices. He needs to suffer. And sadly, he has not yet understood that.’
When Steve Bruce chatted to reporters in the days before Saint-Maximin’s arrival, we spoke more about those off-field antics than anything he had achieved on it, but the new head coach was willing to take a chance, unlike former boss Rafa Benitez.
Eleven months on, Saint-Maximin is arguably the best player in the Premier League on form, evidenced by his devastating dribbles and three assists during Wednesday’s 4-1 win at Bournemouth.
As for the above misdemeanours, you would assume that rap sheet belonged to someone else in light of his conduct on Tyneside, where he is just about the most popular man in the city, and has been since he said ‘I don’t give a f***’ during a live radio interview last year.
Perhaps the 23-year-old needed to leave France — or maybe his three children, all under five, have curtailed those wayward inclinations and brought focus and responsibility.
Saint-Maximin is neither the player nor the person we expected when he signed.
Yes, the Gucci headband and the bling have seen him fined by Bruce on a couple of occasions, but you can live with that when he is shining on the pitch. They said in France that he was a rough diamond and his end product was questioned. He is, however, looking like a pure cut now. Newcastle have won once from 14 matches without him in the starting XI this season, but when he plays it is 10 wins from 18.
Saint-Maximin is a street footballer who gets you out of your seat and keeps you on your feet. His flamboyance has provided some light amid the otherwise drab surrounds of Project Restart.
He was born just outside Paris in Chatenay-Malabry to Haitian parents. He attributes his dribbling wits to playing against older boys, including his brother, on the concrete courts of their suburb.
But his was not a deprived childhood and he would accompany his mother, a teacher, on school trips to London, all the while encouraged to practise his English.
Allied to that is an IQ of 145 and a social awareness that saw him visit Newcastle’s largest food bank within weeks of signing.
Saint-Maximin, it appears, has used that intelligence to accelerate his development this season. In lockdown, he improvised and deployed his dog as an opponent in his garden. To be fair, Rossko got closer than most defenders have.
Saint-Maximin says that, one on one, he will ‘kill’ any opponent. His team-mates will vouch for that, at least evidenced by one training-ground goal that saw him beat five. A voice off camera on that clip can be heard saying simply, ‘Wow’.
But, and there is a but, here is Newcastle’s problem: Saint-Maximin is looking like a player deserving of the biggest stage. He signed in August on wages of around £36,000 a week — plus bonuses — and there is growing frustration he earns less than some team-mates who rarely play.
It was hoped that a new contract in recognition of his worth would be on the table by now, but the club remains in a state of paralysis amid the proposed takeover.
An exciting new era could be about to begin at St James’ Park, and the new owners would make keeping the winger a priority.
It would certainly cost a lot more than n £16m to replace him. Indeed, if Newcastle want to challenge at the top end of the Premier League, ague, Saint-Maximin should be priceless. ess.