Why Allan Saint-Maximin is completely wrong for Chelsea
Cameron Smith
- 22 Jul 2022 09:10 BST
- 4 min read
Chelsea are one of a number of clubs who have made a tentative approach for Newcastle United star Allan Saint-Maximin this summer.
According to The Athletic, Saint-Maximin is being watched by the Blues, Tottenham and several other European sides, but Newcastle are holding out for a fee of over £40 million (€47m).
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Chelsea, and others, are said to have been hoping for Newcastle's new owners to go on a spending spree this summer in order for Saint-Maximin to become surplus to requirements.
However, that hasn't happened, with the only arrivals coming in the backline. Namely Nick Pope from Burnley, Sven Botman from Lille and Matt Targett from Aston Villa.
As a result, it seems as though Chelsea will be priced out of a move, and that will be great news for Thomas Tuchel.
The German head coach has already added Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling to his squad ahead of the upcoming season, but more additions are planned, notably in defence.
But, the forward line may need addressing too. Romelu Lukaku was brought in to be the man to close the gap to Manchester City and Liverpool, but the Belgian managed just eight Premier League goals after arriving for €115m and has been loaned back to Inter for the 2022-23 campaign.
As a result, there is still a hole in Chelsea's attack, but Saint-Maximin is not the player needed to fill it. In fact, signing the Frenchman would be a poorly mis-judged idea.
Saint-Maximin is wrong for Chelsea
The Newcastle man is a very talented player, and he certainly passes the eye test, with the Magpies often carried by his ability to drag them through games. But, while he ranks in the top one percent of wingers in Europe's top five leagues for dribbles completed per 90 with 4.5, he wouldn't bring the one thing Chelsea actually need: goals.
After Jorginho ended the 2020-21 season as Chelsea's top scorer in the Premier League with just seven strikes it was clear to see something needed to change. That year, the Blues lacked an out-and-out goal threat, which is a problem that stemmed throughout the 2021-22 campaign too.
Mason Mount notched double digits for goals and assists in the league despite not being a traditional forward, yet Tuchel couldn't rely on anyone else to put the ball in the back of the net.
Signing Saint-Maximin would not fix that problem. For all his qualities, the Frenchman has scored just 12 goals in 93 Newcastle games, which works out at one every 7.8 matches. That isn't good enough for a side pushing for Europe, like Newcastle are aiming for, let alone a Champions League regular and title challenger such as Chelsea.
Raheem Sterling is the solution from the flanks, with the Englishman providing the ball progression and dribbling of Saint-Maximin as well as a clinical edge, while Kai Havertz needs to start living up to his price tag and reputation after two years in England.
Furthermore, while Saint-Maximin is in the top one percent of wingers in Europe's top five leagues for dribbles completed per 90, he's in the bottom one percent for pressures per 90 with only 8.2. In a Tuchel system, that spells disaster.
