According to The Daily Mail, Tottenham are interested in signing Newcastle winger Allan Saint-Maximin this summer.
What’s the word?
As Jose Mourinho heads into his first summer transfer window in charge of Spurs, all eyes will who the Portuguese man will look to bring to strengthen a squad that is having an incredibly difficult season – ahead of their clash against Everton on Monday night, the Lilywhites find themselves in tenth place in the Premier League.
But as per The Daily Mail, Spurs have joined French giants PSG in the growing list of clubs to show an interest in signing Saint-Maximin, and quite crucially, they may have an advantage the Ligue 1 side don’t.
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The report claims that whilst Spurs don’t have the biggest budget, they “would be willing to offer players such as Danny Rose and Juan Foyth plus cash”.
Game-changer
In what has been an impressive debut campaign in English football for Saint-Maximin, the Frenchman has been one of the shining lights of Newcastle’s season.
The winger has scored four times and provided a further seven assists, and has at times been unstoppable. Speaking after his performance against West Ham earlier in the season, former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison said: “Saint-Maximin, he was unplayable. I don’t know how you defend against players like that. He doesn’t look like he knows what he’s going to do so I don’t know how defenders feel when he’s getting at them.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by The Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope too, who described him as “unplayable” and the Premier League’s “most enjoyable star to watch”. That directness and quick feet – Saint-Maximin has averaged a ridiculous 4.6 dribbles per game this season – is far unlike anyone else in the current Spurs squad, with first-ranked Heung-min Son averaging exactly half that.
Even in Gareth Bale’s most prolific season at the club back in the 2012/2013 campaign, the Welshman only averaged 1.8 dribbles per game. Having someone like Saint-Maximin who can commit defenders, and draw double teams, can open up space for the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli to wreak havoc. It’s the kind of move that could transform the Spurs attack for next season.
