It's a term you hear a lot as a Newcastle United supporter but fans really do love a player that 'gets bums off seats'. Following in the footsteps of fellow Frenchmen Laurent Robert and Hatem Ben Arfa, Allan Saint-Maximin is the latest tricky winger to fill that role on Tyneside, dazzling audiences around the world with his silky skills and unrivalled confidence when it comes to beating a man.
Saint-Maximin has enjoyed a hit and miss campaign so far. Scoring five goals in the league, the 25-year-old hasn't found the back of the net since January 15th in the 1-1 draw against Watford. He did supply an assist last month in the 3-0 victory over Norwich but that was his first since September.
However, one thing is for sure: the attacker makes things happen on the pitch. Dribbling statistics from this season prove both how fearless he is with the ball at his feet and how important he is worth to Newcastle United.
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No other Premier League star has attempted as many dribbles as Saint-Maximin this season. In fact, no other player comes even remotely close. The former Nice winger has tried to beat his man a whopping 226 times this term. The nearest player to him on the list is Watford's Emmanuel Dennis with 155. Raphinha of Leeds comes next with 141 and Wilfried Zaha is fourth on the list with 132.
But it's not just that Saint-Maximin is the best in England, he's also doing more than some foreign superstars. Former Southampton star Sofiane Boufal, who now plays for Angers, has the most dribbling attempts in Ligue 1 with 198. Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr tops the La Liga rankings with 190 and AC Milan's Rafael Leao only has 151 at the summit of the Serie A standings.
Kylian Mbappe has attempted 182 dribbles of his own at PSG this season, while Neymar has 120 to his name. Lionel Messi has only dared to beat his man 89 times this term.
However, it's not just that Saint-Maximin is trying to beat his man and losing the ball. His completion stats make even better reading. Of his 225 dribbles, 139 of them have been successful. Meanwhile, Dennis and Zaha only managed 68 each and Raphinha only completed 61.
Mbappe goes closest to matching the Magpies star in Ligue 1 with 103 successes, while Messi managed 57. Boufal may have taken on his man 198 times but he was only successful on 91 occasions. Rumoured Newcastle target Lucas Paqueta completed 79 of his 114 dribbles.
Saint-Maximin also completed 10 of his 13 attempted dribbles in Newcastle's 3-1 win over Everton earlier this year, just one shy of setting a record in a Premier League game this season. Yet speculation persists as to whether Newcastle could cash in this summer should a significant offer arrive for his services.
Eddie Howe has been nothing but complimentary towards the £20m man, however. "I’ve really enjoyed working with him and we need him at his very best levels. He could potentially be the difference," the Newcastle boss said earlier this year. Let's hope the Magpies continue to see the best of the fearless wide man for some time yet.
