Everton are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements following another Premier League relegation scrap last season and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target.
Will Everton sign Allan Saint-Maximin?
According to 90min, Everton is one of the clubs interested in signing Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin this summer.
As per the report, the Toffees have been checking in on the player’s situation at St James’ Park alongside Crystal Palace and AC Milan, whilst he has also become the latest player to be targeted by Saudi Pro League clubs too as game time has been limited for the Frenchman during Newcastle’s rebuild.
What positions can Allan Saint-Maximin play?
There is no doubt that Sean Dyche will be making a rebuild of the forward line at Goodison Park his top priority this summer with both departures and injuries plaguing Everton’s ability to comfortably retain their top-flight status.
The Toffees have lost both Richarlison and Anthony Gordon over the last 12 months, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury issues have only added to the Merseyside club’s plight which led to them being the second-lowest scoring team (34) in the entire Premier League last season.
As a result, the signing of Saint-Maximin could bring Everton’s attacking threat back to life next season as his explosive and energetic approach to the wider forward role could cause chaos for opponents and ultimately improve the performances significantly.
Despite the 26-year-old ace – who had his transfer fee reduced to £26m in January – often being pushed out of the first-team by his position competitors, he still managed to outperform Dyche’s forward options in a number of key attacking attributes.
According to WhoScored, only Alex Iwobi tallied up more assists (7) than winger Saint-Maximin (5) last season, whilst he outperformed every single Everton player with his successful dribbles completed per game (2.3), as well as offering 1.2 key passes per 90 which is something only Dwight McNeil (1.4) and Iwobi (1.7) managed to better.
Not only that, the Newcastle star ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for assists, progressive carries, successful take-ons, shot-creating actions, and touches, demonstrating that he is one of the hottest forward prospects in Europe who can offer creative consistency for Everton.
Such numbers could well see him replace Richarlison’s output, with the Brazilian impressing in similar metrics during his time at Goodison. Indeed, in his penultimate campaign with the club, he posted 1.8 successful dribbles per game.
The Premier League-proven talent has often been highly praised for his impact on Tyneside in the past, with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville blown away by Saint-Maximin’s skills:
“Honestly, he’s a massive threat and a nightmare for defenders. He creates chance after chance. He’s brilliant for Newcastle fans and a real positive part of the team.
“To see his speed, his movement, it’s absolutely breathtaking. We were defenders in the Premier League and played against lots of good players.”
Replacing Richarlison was never going to be an easy task for Everton when he made the move to Tottenham Hotspur, however, there is now a real opportunity for Dyche to bring in a player with bags of technical ability and entertaining qualities in Saint-Maximin who could revive the presence in front of goal next season.
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