The enigma that is Allan Saint-Maximin is almost constantly linked with a move away from Newcastle these days. His playing time has been drastically cut down under Eddie Howe, mostly down to an unfortunate run of injuries, but it also just feels like Eddie Howe doesn’t fancy him as a starting player, using him as an impact sub more often than not.
Rumours have been circulating that AC Milan were ready to test Newcastle’s resolve and lodge a bid for ASM, and also, weirdly, so too were Nottingham Forest who seemingly have their player brochure open at the Newcastle United page at the moment.
However, Howe used this morning’s press briefing to set the record straight, having been asked about whether Maxi is off to Milan, Howe said: “Absolutely not. He is here to stay, and is an integral part of my team.”
With Newcastle seemingly set to lose Jonjo Shelvey, it would be madness to let another midfielder leave, especially with no incoming replacement on the horizon, unless the club can do a speedy deal in the next 24 hours.
There’s a huge cry amongst the Newcastle faithful for Maxi to start tomorrow’s semi-final second leg against Southampton alongside Alexander Isak. The two linked up extremely well when they came off the bench in last week’s first leg. Their pace and unpredictability caused Southampton’s defence endless problems and given that sides seemed to have us pegged these days when it comes to blunting our attack, mixing it up seems like the logical thing to do.