“If I’m Newcastle, I’d buy him straight up” – Rio Ferdinand urges Eddie Howe to sell Allan Saint-Maximin and sign Premier League star who ‘scores more’
Prominent pundit and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Newcastle United should sign Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha.
Ferdinand even stated that the Magpies should consider selling Allan Saint-Maximin, who is loved by the club's fans. The former defender immediately added that he'd not be averse to Eddie Howe's side keeping both forwards either.
As things stand, Zaha will be a free agent next summer, with his contract at Selhurst Park set to expire. Saint-Maximin, meanwhile, is on a deal running until the summer of 2026.
Ferdinand believes Zaha would be a superb addition to Newcastle as he offers more goals than Saint-Maximin. He said in a video on his YouTube channel "Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE" (as quoted by TBR Football):
“If I’m Newcastle, I’d buy him straight up. I’ll take him and I’d sell Saint-Maximin. Or I’d have them both. He scores more than Saint-Maximin. I think Wilfried Zaha at Newcastle would be a problem.”
A primary concern with Saint-Maximin has been his injury troubles and inability to score goals on a consistent basis. The Frenchman has played just seven matches this season, scoring once and recording three assists. Overall, he has featured in 100 matches since joining the Magpies in 2019, recording 13 goals and 19 assists.
Zaha has also had his troubles with injury since joining Crystal Palace back in 2015. However, the Ivorian has been a largely consistent presence in the Eagles' starting XI. He has started the ongoing season in superb form, scoring six times and laying out two assists in 12 Premier League matches.
In nearly seven years at Selhurst Park, Zaha has made 442 appearances, recording 89 goals and 75 assists. He averages 0.37 goal contributions per game over a much bigger sample size for Palace, compared to Saint-Maximin's 0.32.
Newcastle United have had an incredible start to the season
Despite missing Allan Saint-Maximin for much of this young season, Newcastle United have been in tremendous form. Eddie Howe's team have lost just once in 14 Premier League matches this term and are currently third in the standings.
The Magpies have already picked up several encouraging results in the ongoing campaign. They drew 3-3 with reigning champions Manchester City and 0-0 with Manchester United, while defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 away from home. Only a last-second goal prevented them from taking a point off Liverpool.
UNIIIIIITED! 🔥 https://t.co/HYBYuJfBt4
Newcastle will face another heavyweight in the Premier League this weekend when they take on Chelsea at St. James' Park on Saturday, November 12. They will hope to defeat the seventh-placed Blues to further cement their position in the top four prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup-induced break.
Prior to that, they will take on Wilfried Zaha's Crystal Palace in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday (November 9).