Everton Opinion: Why the Toffees should go for Allan Saint-Maximin?
According to a report from French publication L’Equipe, Everton have been in contact with OGC Nice winger Allan Saint-Maximin. (h/t Sport Witness)
The Frenchman, 22, scored six goals and supplied three assists for Nice this past season. The winger, who is valued at around £25m, is also attracting interest from AC Milan, the report adds.
AC Milan will be clear favourites to land the wide-man due to the lure of European football. However, Everton must make an attempt to beat Milan and sign Allan Saint-Maximin from Nice, as Marco Silva aims to help the Toffees break into the top six next term.
Silva’s debut season at the Goodison Park certainly didn’t go according to the plan, but he at least got an idea regarding the problems of his squad. The Portuguese tactician has a big summer to look towards. His team are in desperate need for goalscorers, with Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson shouldering the burden despite not being natural goalscorers.
Along with a goalscorer, Everton need a creative winger who is direct and can supply with his fair share of goals. The Toffees have some really good attacking players in Richarlison, Sigurdsson, Bernard and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but Theo Walcott has proven to be a liability.
Walcott, 30, has had an underwhelming campaign and being an experienced, seasoned campaigner, he’s expected to be consistent and have an impact. With him in the team, the right wing looked almost absent and that’s one of the reasons why Silva’s men struggled to score goals at a consistent rate.
Everton cannot depend on Walcott if they want to have any chance of making it into the Europa League places next season. That’s why signing someone like Allan Saint-Maximin would make sense.
Blessed with raw pace and exquisite dribbling skills, Saint-Maximin is one of the fastest players in Europe. So one can understand what his biggest strength, i.e. pace. He is a tricky customer whose tricks and flicks in the wide areas tend to cause a lot of problems for the opposition defenders. The Frenchman is unpredictable and would be a straight upgrade on Walcott.
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Furthermore, his work ethic and ability on the ball will prove to be a massive bonus. Direct, fast and intelligent, Saint-Maximin has the required skill-set to thrive in the Premier League.
Verdict
The Frenchman is still raw and developing, and under the watchful eye of Marco Silva, the 22-year-old could progress well in the coming years. This would be a smart move in a problematic position for Everton and would benefit all parties involved.
