In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee can’t see Steve Bruce selling Allan Saint-Maximin, even if the budget could be low this summer.
Saint-Maximin is Newcastle United’s star player who gets fans on the edge of their seats and Lee thinks it would be criminal if Bruce moved the Frenchman, who was linked with Paris Saint-Germain last summer, on.
The winger has struggled with injuries and Covid this season which has seen him make just 12 starts in the Premier League, something Lee believes could put teams off making a move for him.
Should Newcastle sell Saint-Maximin?
Yes, we need the money!
No, he’s too good!
Lee admits he hasn’t seen the best of the £38,000-a-week Saint-Maximin this season but has been impressed when the 23-year-old has been on the pitch, and knows how much the fans enjoy having him as a player at their club.
The former midfielder spoke exclusively to FFC and believes it would be one of the worst things Bruce could do as manager if he sold Saint-Maximin.
Lee joked: “No, I think he’d be hung, drawn and quartered if he sold Saint-Maximin.
“It’s not as though he’s been outstanding you know, he’s been outstanding in fits and starts. He’s been 20 minutes here, 20 minutes there.
“He hasn’t done enough to warrant a big enough fee, for someone to come in with £50-60 million. He hasn’t warranted that yet so no one’s going to do that. There’s no point selling him for anything less.”
Saint-Maximin has been a bright spark in Newcastle’s team over the last two seasons, and Lee knows it would not go down well on Tyneside if Bruce was to sell his star asset.
Especially when a lot of the fans have turned on the manager already.