Eddie Howe is not only tasked with identifying which positions he needs to strengthen, he also has to identify which Newcastle players need selling.
Allan Saint-Maximin could be on his way out of St James’ Park as he’s on the radar of Chelsea and Tottenham and could fetch £50m. Miguel Almiron is another player who could leave, though his exit would be down to his lack of goals rather than a step up the career ladder.
Gabriel Agbonlahor believes Howe could do with replacing the pair as they aren’t guaranteeing a prolific goal return over the course of a season. He told Football Insider: “I like Saint-Maximin, but he blows hot and cold. Almiron doesn’t get enough goals or assists. I feel (Newcastle) need more players in (that position).”
Saint-Maximin has never scored more than five Premier League goals and five assists in a season, but he’s trying to leverage his importance to get a new lucrative contract. It’s a bold move for a player that isn’t prolific, so Newcastle might be better off taking Agbonlahor’s advice.
As for Almiron, the 28-year-old scored just one goal from 32 games across the board this season, so he’s not pulling his weight. Newcastle paid more money to sign Almiron than Saint-Maximin too, so recruitment should take a lot of blame for how mismatched the squad is.
Who they’ll replace the pair with is unknown.
In other news, Gabriel Agbonlahor says Chris Wood was a ‘crazy signing’ by Newcastle United
