Newcastle United fan favourite Allan Saint-Maximin has found his third club since leaving Tyneside two years ago.
Saint-Maximin left Newcastle to join Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia in July 2023 for £21million. It remains the only piece of transfer business The Magpies have done with a Saudi Pro League club owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund to date.
The transfer came just after Newcastle had finished fourth in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in over 20 years.
Saint-Maximin’s first season in the Saudi Pro League was a frustrating one but he still contributed four goals and 10 assists for Al-Ahli before leaving to join Fenerbahce on loan last summer.
The French winger’s spell in Turkey didn’t quite work out as planned either, as he had a public spat with Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho before returning to Al-Ahli at the end of the 2024/25 season with his future uncertain.
Now the 28-year-old has made a fresh switch, almost 8,500 miles away from Al-Ahli.
Allan Saint-Maximin new club revealed
Saint-Maximin trained with his new teammates through the week but wasn’t involved in Club America’s 3-1 win at Tigres UANL over the weekend. He is expected to be involved against Atlas next week.
Allan Saint-Maximin issues heartfelt goodbye message
Saint-Maximin is known for his passionate and often long social media messages that certainly resonated with Newcastle fans during his time on Tyneside.
The French winger confirmed his departure from Al-Ahli by expressing his gratitude for a ‘great opportunity’.
On Instagram, Saint-Maximin wrote: “Time to say goodbye 💚Had to take a moment to decide which opportunity truly felt like the right one but I took my decision.
“Football gave me the chance to live in Corsica, the French Riviera, Germany, England, Saudi, Türkiye… and now, I have been given the opportunity to discover a new football, a new challenge, and a new life with my family!
“Thank you to Al-Ahli and to the Saudi League for this great opportunity! And of course thank you to the fans!Thank God for living this life ! New chapter loading…”
Saint-Maximin claimed he signed a life-changing contract upon joining Al-Ahli, worth €90million in total - five times his salary at Newcastle.
Allan Saint-Maximin on NUFC departure
While Saint-Maximin’s career has taken him on an interesting path since leaving Newcastle, he has no regrets over leaving the club as it was a move that suited all parties at the time.
“I left the club at the top, I didn't leave like a thief,” Saint-Maximin said via YouTube channel Zach. “I didn't leave them when they were at the bottom.
“I had the option to leave them for big clubs, when they were playing at the bottom. I had a lot of offers at that time, but I didn't want to leave them.
“For my career and my development, it was better for me to make these decisions, but I stayed until the end. I stayed loyal, even if I closed my eyes on big financial sums, on much more interesting contracts than the one I had in Newcastle.
“For me, it's important to be loyal. I spent a year in Newcastle, and with the matches I played, even one of my favourites, against Manchester City, where I created three goals, everyone saw it.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this linkto join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
“When you play at that level, when you play against City, when you play against Arsenal, Liverpool, when you score against Manchester, it doesn’t go unnoticed. You get offers, and it was clear to Newcastle that I was irreplaceable.
“This feeling of being irreplaceable, of being an important player, to the point where you don't want to be sold, you don't want to get rid of yourself, it was an exceptional feeling.
“In the end, I decided to be loyal, and for me, it was really important the day I decided to leave, to leave through the front door. That's what I did. I left when we finished 4th.
“It was a more complicated season due to the injuries I had that season. I had a few absences that were costly in a way, and the team did very well without me.
“I also experienced the cup final, where I was the starter of the first final in years. We experienced the final against Manchester [United], and they won [v Liverpool]. I was so happy. It was as if I had won.
“It was exceptional, because you know what it's like when you're just there and you see the disappointment of the supporters, of your teammates, and the fact that they manage to live that, it's exceptional.
“So that's why, to come back to it, when there was this proposal that came to help the club because that's what you can't forget.”
Continue Reading