Eddie Howe has revealed that he ‘loves’ star winger Allan Saint-Maximin and ‘definitely’ wants to keep him at the club despite rumours that he could be leaving to fund new signings.
When asked if he wanted to keep the winger after our 3-2 win over Gateshead, he said: “Definitely. I love Allan. I’ve said that many times. You see his quality today. When he went to his best position as a left winger, he was excellent. He took his goal really well. He’s come back in a good place mentally. I’m very pleased with him.”
The Frenchman started at the GIS and came alive in the second half, with his goal and assist helping secure a comeback victory. Initially, he started out playing in a false nine role, but we saw his true ability when he moved back out wide to his ‘best position’, as Howe mentions.
With the club reportedly struggling for funds due to FFP, Saint-Maximin’s name has come up in a lot of transfer conversations as he is viewed as one of the only sellable assets at the club.
Despite these rumours, Howe has reminded everyone of how much faith he has in the 26-year-old and, with him in a ‘good place mentally’, he can hopefully kick on and have a great season for us.
