The true impact of £37m duo at Newcastle United

Newcastle United are fortunate to have Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron…

Newcastle United have enjoyed the presence of several big name players over the last three decades, but, overall, the Magpies are recognized as a blue collar squad. Collective urgency and discipline have been key factors to the club finding stability in the Premier League in recent years.

Newcastle United conducted some impressive transfer business this summer, especially with the arrivals of Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser, Jamal Lewis, and Jeff Hendrick.

The Toon have sufficient talent to fight for a top ten finish this season, and those odds increase significantly if Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron regularly perform at elite levels.

The dynamic duo is known for their lethal pace, technical skills on the ball, and playmaking abilities. From the outside looking in, neutral fans and pundits could question all the hype surrounding both players, but their statistics are not a proper reflection of their impact on the team.

Last season, the Frenchman and Paraguayan only combined to score seven goals and completed six assists in Premier League action. This season, Saint-Maximin has one goal and one assist to his name, whereas Almiron has one assist through four games.

Do both players have room for improvement in terms of output? Absolutely, and they have a good shot at improving their numbers from last season with the new supporting cast around them this term.

It would be nice to see Saint-Maximin and Almiron both get close to double figures, but their dynamic style of play in the final third, and their willingness to hustle back defensively is what keeps Newcastle United competitive.

Almiron has made 49 appearances for the club since January of 2019, and with him in the lineup Newcastle United have claimed 17 wins and earned 14 draws, which equates to 65 points.

Saint-Maximin’s impact was noted by Sky Sports earlier today as they calculated that Newcastle United have a success rate of 46.2% with him in the lineup. That rate drops drastically to 6.2% without the 23-year-old.

The sky is the limit for both players, who are not even in their prime yet, and Newcastle United will be hoping they can keep the duo on Tyneside long-term. Some top teams have already expressed interest in both players, but, for now, Saint-Maximin and Almiron seem content on Tyneside.