Allan Saint-Maximin (now playing for Fenerbahce, on loan from Al-Ahli)

[Aiston]

We couldn't get £40m for him as no one else wanted him at all, even for the £23m. So that's his value.

 

The fee makes a bit of sense when;

 

We were looking to sell him (one of the main reasons really), doesn't fit in the way we play, injury prone, had no effect on our best season in a very long time so wasn't really a key player any more, his poor goal and assist return (1 assist in 2023!), incredibly inconsistent.

 

He is enjoyable and fantastic to watch when he's on it, but he is on it rarely and that really doesn't sell well without g&a numbers.

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by Aiston

[alexf]

I wonder if we know something others don't in relation to his muscle injuries etc.

He had a pretty rotten year with injuries last year and it was clear to me even when he played he wasn't 100% he looked scared to open up to a full sprint anymore and when you lose that yard as an explosive dribbler, you're never going to be as effective as you once were. 

Perhaps having seen him up close for so long the medical team have assessed that he's never going to be able to overcome these strains etc. Bit like Dyer back in the day. 

 

Thats the logic I am applying anyways because it seems we have sold when his stock is at its lowest coming off a injury hit season and of we were confident he was over those problems, even just playing a handful of games in CL and turning it on, we could have possibly doubled our money in January.

[Matt1892]

 I don’t think this is about what he is worth, more that people expected an inflated transfer fee as they seen it as PIF being able to pump extra money in to the club to get around FFP.

 

 

[andyc35i]

I’m not bothered about the fee, I’m just really sad that he’s no longer part of the squad. Although I understand the reasons why he needed to go, I’m just gutted about it. 
 

I always believed that with better players around Allan (and actually a manager with tactics and good coaching) that he’d become a superstar for us. Sadly that hasn’t happened. I’m just glad that he gave me some little moments of joy at a time when we were rock bottom. I wish him all the best 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by andyc35i

[elbee909]

1 hour ago, Matt1892 said:

 I don’t think this is about what he is worth, more that people expected an inflated transfer fee as they seen it as PIF being able to pump extra money in to the club to get around FFP.

 

 

 

But as it's turned out, we seem to be under that much scrutiny that we're having to play with a completely straight bat. Straighter than those who are making the most noise, apparently, hey Liverpool, don't mind that Saudi money when it suits you though eh.

[TheBrownBottle]

1 hour ago, Matt1892 said:

 I don’t think this is about what he is worth, more that people expected an inflated transfer fee as they seen it as PIF being able to pump extra money in to the club to get around FFP.

 

 

Anyone who thought that is being daft and getting their bubbles popped.  Far too much time cheating on Champ Man managing a second club to buy their first club’s players for inflated fees.  The real world doesn’t work like that.

 

It is the same for those who’ve spent the last 18 months pretending that FFP isn’t a thing, really.

 

We’re nearly two years into the ownership and it is abundantly clear what the strategy is - a slow build while staying 100% within the rules.  Commercial deals gradually increasing, facilities improved, buying players with significant potential resale value to maximise revenues.  They’re not going potentially bring scrutiny and criticism by selling a player to another of their clubs for an inflated fee.  ASM isn’t going to attract more than what he’s being sold for - and doesn’t appear to have any other suitors at this price, which suggests the fee being paid is inflated.  

 

It’s basically what Mike Ashley claimed to be doing in 2008-ish, only competently done and with actual investment to nurture the growth.

 

What it clearly isn’t is a vanity project nor a opportunity for wasting huge sums of cash.  PIF is doing that in KSA with the Saudi league, for political reasons.  

[TheBrownBottle]

1 hour ago, andyc35i said:

I’m not bothered about the fee, I’m just really sad that he’s not longer part of the squad. Although I understand the reasons why he needed to go, I’m just gutted about it. 
 

I always believed that with better players around Allan (and actually manager with tactics and good coaching) that he’d become a superstar for us. I’m just glad that he gave me some little moments of joy at a time when we were rock bottom. I wish him all the best 

Totally understand being disappointed he’s leaving - though I would say that he’s had the benefit of a manager with tactics & good coaching and better players around him in the last 18 months.

 

Also notable that he praised Bruce when he left NUFC, but hasn’t exactly been as effusive re Howe. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Shame he’s going but I’ll be very relieved not to have this debate anymore.

 

On his goodbye message he’s not bandaged up in the early highlights. Guess his injuries started to mount up. 
 

I would’ve liked to have him as part of the squad and he’s obviously been trying to fit the new system. But ultimately his body is probably not able to sustain the intensity we’re playing at now. 
 

Glad he’s going out of the PL as well. 

 

 

[Gallowgate Toon]

Really wouldn't be shocked if there were some big underlying issues with his hammies. He definitely changed his running style for at least a few games this year. Reminded me of Dyer who did the same towards the end of his time here for at least a few games and had a really different warm-up routine to the rest of the team.

 

The level of strapping too.

[Keggy_Keagal]

The saving on the bandage budget in real terms brings the fee up to £40 million. 

[andyc35i]

32 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Totally understand being disappointed he’s leaving - though I would say that he’s had the benefit of a manager with tactics & good coaching and better players around him in the last 18 months.

 

Also notable that he praised Bruce when he left NUFC, but hasn’t exactly been as effusive re Howe. 

Agreed. And that’s why I’m disappointed because he actually wasn’t going to be that superstar even with the better players and top coaching 

[TheHoob]

There's no way there wouldn't have been other PL clubs interested at that price. People can comfort themselves that it validates their view on him but as long as I've got a hole in my arse, another PL club would've paid more than that for him. 

 

There will be a reason he's gone to the club he has.   

 

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by TheHoob

[Groundhog63]

1 minute ago, TheHoob said:

There's no way there wouldn't have been other PL clubs interested at that price. People can comfort themselves that it validates their view on him but as long as I've got a hole in my arse, another PL club would've paid more than that for him. 

 

There will be a reason he's got to the club he has.   

Yeah, they were lining up for him, pal. 

We clearly weren't going to let him go to a rival so let him go to Saudi for buttons instead ?

[Ste]

4 minutes ago, TheHoob said:

There's no way there wouldn't have been other PL clubs interested at that price. People can comfort themselves that it validates their view on him but as long as I've got a hole in my arse, another PL club would've paid more than that for him. 

 

There will be a reason he's gone to the club he has.   

 

 

 

 

Who would match what the Saudis are willing to pay him though? Would he have entertained a move elsewhere if the wages didn't compete with the offer he accepted?

[Gazzaschicken]

5 hours ago, Cf said:

 

From who? It's pretty obvious we have been looking to move him on. It's not like we were drowning in offers for him. 

His market value is 32m euros. The Saudis are splashing the Dosh. We could have got more for him. Jordan Henderson market value is 10m and he went for 14m. We definitely could have gotten more for him

[jackyboy]

I doubt if we had any offers from PL sides. They all know his injury record and how difficult it would be to integrate into a team. If anyone could of done that it would be Howe. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

3 hours ago, TheHoob said:

There's no way there wouldn't have been other PL clubs interested at that price. People can comfort themselves that it validates their view on him but as long as I've got a hole in my arse, another PL club would've paid more than that for him. 

 

There will be a reason he's gone to the club he has.   

 

 

 

It’s probably better for us to sell him cheaper outside the PL anyway. 

[ohmelads]

There'd absolutely be takers in the Premier League at £23M but it was clear early in the window the Saudis were selling the player to themselves. Who would bother bidding at that point? It's not like you're going to beat them on wages or that they'd sell to you over selling to themselves. We'll never know what the market interest would have been. We paid 38M for Barnes but where were the bids for him before that?

 

The fee looks artificially on the low end to avoid suspicion and keep the cartel clubs happy. It's not a great financial deal for us, let's be honest. With fees at the moment, you have to spend much more than that to replace him, as we have.

[Mike]

5 hours ago, andyc35i said:

I’m not bothered about the fee, I’m just really sad that he’s not longer part of the squad. Although I understand the reasons why he needed to go, I’m just gutted about it. 
 

I always believed that with better players around Allan (and actually manager with tactics and good coaching) that he’d become a superstar for us. I’m just glad that he gave me some little moments of joy at a time when we were rock bottom. I wish him all the best 

 

Aye. I'm genuinely down about him leaving.

[Cf]

28 minutes ago, Gazzaschicken said:

His market value is 32m euros. The Saudis are splashing the Dosh. We could have got more for him. Jordan Henderson market value is 10m and he went for 14m. We definitely could have gotten more for him

 

Says who?

 

His market value is what someone is willing to pay for him. 

[Gawalls]

Ashley and Bruce era - people just kept saying “all we want is a team that tries and doesn’t penny pinch”.

 

New era comes along, Howe introduces a team finally that tries and it works so well we get CL football again within two seasons and spends up to their limit so Howe and the owners sell one player to keep the project going and now there’s so much “oh my god we’re selling, I don’t want this ffs”

[thomas]

12 minutes ago, Mike said:

 

Aye. I'm genuinely down about him leaving.

[ohmelads]

2 minutes ago, Cf said:

 

Says who?

 

His market value is what someone is willing to pay for him. 

 

That's in a normal market.

 

The Saudis have come in and bought the player from another of their own clubs at an artificial price. Normally a selling club tries to do what Southampton are doing to us with Livramento. Or what everyone else is doing to PIF (Fabinho for 40m for example). Did we drive a hard bargain with PIF to raise the fee? Everyone knows the Premier League and cartel clubs are watching this deal like a hawk.

[huss9]

6 hours ago, Gazzaschicken said:

Don't understand the fee he's only 26 feel like we could have got £40m for him. His wages weren't that high as well. Seems a strange move

its the whole financial package.

certain clubs may have been willing to offer more than £23M but they wouldnt have been able to offer him the £200k a week he is reportedly going to get.

so say some mid table prem team offered £30m or more but say £70-80k a week wages, we may have accepted but there would have been no way maxi would have agreed to leave.

[Pata]

8 minutes ago, Gawalls said:

Ashley and Bruce era - people just kept saying “all we want is a team that tries and doesn’t penny pinch”.

 

New era comes along, Howe introduces a team finally that tries and it works so well we get CL football again within two seasons and spends up to their limit so Howe and the owners sell one player to keep the project going and now there’s so much “oh my god we’re selling, I don’t want this ffs”