Allan Saint-Maximin spent two seasons with OGC Nice. (Getty Images)
Back in March, a report from the Daily Mail (h/t The Guardian) had mentioned Wolves among the potential suitors for Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin. Crystal Palace were also understood to be monitoring the situation amid claims of a strained relationship between the Frenchman and Magpies boss Steve Bruce.
However, Saint-Maximin stayed put at Tyneside during the summer window and eventually poured cold water on speculations over his future by putting pen to paper on a new long-term contract until 2026.
Wolves had a much busier summer window than most would have anticipated, with plenty of arrivals and departures. The likes of Fabio Silva, Fernando Marcal, Nelson Semedo, Ki-Jana Hoever and Rayan Ait-Nouri all came through the door to compensate for the sales of Matt Doherty, Helder Costa and Diogo Jota.
Silva was brought in with a view to reducing the goalscoring workload on Raul Jimenez but the 18-year-old hasn’t really made the kind of immediate impact that the fans would have been hoping to see. Jimenez, though, has continued to be an indispensable weapon for Wolves this season after bagging 27 goals across all competitions last term.
However, it’s hard to deny that Wolves have lacked significant goal contributions from their other attacking players, with the team scoring only 9 goals in 9 league games so far. Both Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence have stepped up following the sale of Jota but Adama Traore has been a massive disappointment after an excellent campaign last time around.
Traore is yet to register a single goal or an assist in the PL so far and has lost his status as a regular starter under Nuno Espirito Santo. The Spaniard has a contract until 2023 but has stalled on putting pen to paper on fresh terms amidst interest from Liverpool and Barcelona.
Putting things into context, Wolves need more creativity and firepower in their attack to go toe-to-toe with the elite clubs in the PL. Reigniting interest in Allan Saint-Maximin would definitely make a lot of sense.
The Frenchman has already shown that he has all the qualities to excel in English football. While he has occasionally struggled for end-product in a mediocre Newcastle side, his pedigree as an incisive winger would surely be better utilised by playing alongside quality players like Jimenez.
Allan Saint-Maximin has already started to deliver on his potential and still has his best years ahead of him at 23. Luring the Frenchman to the Black Country would surely involve a significant outlay for Wolves in the market, given that the forward has recently signed a new contract at Newcastle.
However, with Saint-Maximin continuing to show obvious signs of development at Tyneside, it is a move that Wolves shouldn’t hesitate to make.
