Danny Murphy lauds Newcastle’s £16m move for Allan Saint-Maximin

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Danny Murphy has suggested to the Daily Mail that he would judge Newcastle United’s £16 million move for Allan Saint-Maximin to be one of his signings of the season alongside Manchester United’s acquisition of Bruno Fernandes.

Saint-Maximin has been an inspired addition to the Magpies’ ranks. But for some time, his statistics did not do justice to how influential he had been on Tyneside.

He has scored once and provided three assists since the season’s restart. In total, he has scored three and set up four.

Saint-Maximin has often been Newcastle’s most exciting player. And Murphy suggested that he would put the Magpies’ move for the Frenchman alongside Manchester United’s £47 million deal (via BBC Sport) for Fernandes when he considers the best transfer in the Premier League this season.

“I am torn between Bruno Fernandes and Newcastle’s Allan Saint-Maximin, who has been the catalyst for his team avoiding any relegation trouble. For £16million, he has proved an absolute bargain, their best player by a mile,” he told the Daily Mail when discussing the league’s best signing.

“The Fernandes story at Old Trafford has been equally amazing. He arrived in January and has practically turned around Manchester United’s season single-handedly. Very few players can walk into a club that size and make an impact so quickly.”

Given the impact that Fernandes has made since arriving in January, it says a lot about how impressive Saint-Maximin has been that Murphy has put the pair alongside each other.

The fee involved in Saint-Maximin’s arrival only makes the deal look more of a masterstroke.

And Newcastle fans will be hoping that the 23-year-old will be able to kick on during his second season at St James’ Park.

If he can, the £16 million move will quickly look even better.