Newcastle Toons
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New attacking trio can carry Newcastle United this season

By Durim Halimi

NAPLES, ITALY - AUGUST 16: Allan Saint Maximin of OGC Nice in action during the UEFA Champions League Qualifying Play-Offs Round First Leg match between SSC Napoli and OGC Nice at Stadio San Paolo on August 16, 2017 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
NAPLES, ITALY - AUGUST 16: Allan Saint Maximin of OGC Nice in action during the UEFA Champions League Qualifying Play-Offs Round First Leg match between SSC Napoli and OGC Nice at Stadio San Paolo on August 16, 2017 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) /
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The arrival of Allan Saint-Maximin should generate excitement and optimism among supporters heading into the new season.

After spending £21.6m on Miguel Almiron in January and £40m on Joelinton last month, Newcastle United have invested a large sum of money once again, around £16.5m, to bring in Allan Saint-Maximin from OGC Nice. Saint-Maximin’s arrival provides the Magpies with a major boost offensively as he can blow past defenders with his pace, protects the ball well when it’s at his feet and he can score some impressive goals from tight angles.

It is also worth mentioning that Newcastle United will now have the one of the youngest attacking trios in the Premier League. Almiron is only 25-years-old while Joelinton and Saint-Maximin are both only 22-years-old. With all three players on lengthy contracts, the Toon Army should be excited about the potential success this trio can achieve together at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle United already boast a stout defensive unit that ranked seventh for two consecutive seasons, so defensive stability should not be a problem this term. Offensively, however, with such a young core of attacking players the fear of a learning curve is present. Joelinton and Saint-Maximin are both new to the Premier League and will need time to adapt, but they have have sufficient talent to overcome the hurdles of adjustment.

Joelinton is proving to be a faster and more athletic version of Salomon Rondon. He knows how to hold the ball up when isolated, knows how to lose defenders on the dribble, looks for open players before creating solo chances and he can score in a variety of ways. From what we have seen from Saint-Maximin in France, the young winger has plenty of pace, likes to get involved in the attack and his dribble success rate is the best in Europe, even better than Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard.

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When one just sits back and envisions those two dynamic players teaming up with Almiron it is difficult not to get excited. Steve Bruce has deployed a 3-5-2 formation during pre-season and this has enabled Almiron to develop some quick chemistry with Joelinton up top. With Saint-Maximin now on the roster, it would not be a surprise to see the Magpies turn to a 3-4-3 formation going forward. This setup would be a nightmare for opposing defenders.

Well, it is easy for me to speculate what could happen, but fortunately for us we do not have to wait much longer to see how things will play out. Newcastle United will host Arsenal at St. James’ Park to open the season on August 10th.