Allan Saint-Maximin is on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea this summer and is leveraging their interest to sign a new-and-improved contract at St James’ Park. The 25-year-old was Newcastle’s second-highest scorer (5) and their top assist-maker (5), so he’s still a key player for Eddie Howe.
Saint-Maximin appears to recognise that and believes he’s in line for a contract that reflects his importance, but Paul Robinson says Newcastle shouldn’t break the bank to tie him down to a new deal. The uncapped Frenchman has an existing contract until 2026, so the Magpies aren’t obliged to open talks.
Robinson told Football Insider: “They have to be careful with Financial Fair Play. I think that is why they are wary of breaking the wage structure. The old saying, nobody is bigger than the club. Saint-Maximin is a top player but is he irreplaceable? No, he is not.”
The 25-year-old earns around £70k-per-week/£3.6m-a-year at Newcastle which is second to Joelinton (£86k-per-week/£4.5m-a-year), so a new deal would no doubt make him their highest-earner.
United have the money to meet any demand, but Robinson has warned them not to make the same mistake as Everton. The Toffees have three players in the squad earning more than £100k-per-week while having spent £45m on Gylfi Sigurdsson, £27m on Alex Iwobi, £26m on Yannick Bolasie and £25m spet on Moise Kean in the past.
He added: “Newcastle is a huge football club that now has a huge bank account. They still have to be ran very carefully though. You only have to look at Everton’s misspending and how they now have no wriggle room with Financial Fair Play.
“You should always reward your best players, but you don’t give players ridiculous amounts of money to stay at the club. At the end of the day, Newcastle will shortly be right at the top of the Premier League. They will soon get most of the players that they want.”
Saint-Maximin has made 93 appearances in all competitions since joining Newcastle from OGC Nice in 2019, scoring 12 goals with 16 assists.
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