Why Harvey Barnes Is Better Than Allan Saint-Maximin 

I did love Maxi, and I am sad to see him go, Newcastle has a long tradition of mercurial French attacking midfielders, and Maxi was just that. I get why we did it, but .... God, will I miss him. He did a lot for local community too, he also has that game he invented and he was always very pleasant when I saw him in Sainsburys! I wish him the best of luck.

Sad to see him go, seemed like a genuinely nice guy who was always dropping in to hospitals, food banks etc. Good upgrade for the club but he has been a genuine hero while he has been here.

Maxi is as the only reason I was watching newcastle for years at one point. I’m gonna miss him more than any player I can remember. He’s a cult hero. Will miss him turning up more bandaged than the last game 😭

I genuinely love ASM. He kept me and so many of us going through the dark times. so many moments he got me out of my seat. one of my favourite all time players.

I love Maxi, in the same way I loved Hatem Ben Arfur. I feel privileged to have watched them both play for my team. They embody what anyone who watches football should want to see, pure ability with the football, and doing the unexpected and making people say WOW. I do think the time is right now though, to part ways. The team has grown and no longer solely relying on Maxi doing something amazing….though I will still miss him…..I’m ok with it.

Agree exactly with your feelings I'm not happy to see him go, but I think there is a higher chance that from a goal involvement standpoint Barnes will fit within the system better. Still feel like we have been robbed of at least one magical UCL moment with Maxi had he of stayed

Oh I really wish we could have kept both! And if Maxi’s transfer out fails last min, I’d kinda be happy about that… but sadly with FFP looming over it did feel inevitable. And as much as I love the excitement that ASM brings, if Barnes gets us closer to silverware then that’s a huge success. One person does really soften the blow though - Alexander Isak. He doesn’t have quite the same level of magic as Saint-Maximin, but he is an entertainer! The audacity of some of his shots and touches, the way he dribbled and isn’t afraid to take on a man (or entire Everton defence) is absolutely sensational - and all of a sudden becomes even more cherished

Abslutely loved the description of Saint-Maximin and Newcastle as a team player under Bruce. Great stuff 👍🏼

Great analysis from this fella, really balanced review and reflects the entire sentiment of the army, but enough to get us excited!

A good trade in all faornes but a shame to lose him. We finally have a starting 11 strong enough to cover for his lack of defensive quality and give him the opportunity to focus on what he does best, run at fullbacks. I really thought this year may have been a strong season for him.

Maxi was a spark of joy, a reason to still love football in an otherwise depressing scenario. For that reason i will always like him, didn't want him to go and ive not heard good things about Barnes from Leicester fans.

You are without doubt the most inciteful commentator with regards to NUFC. I await your videos with great anticipation. Please never ever stop posting. Many Thanks.

We had to swap someone. My biggest regret is that ASM wasn't made to play RW. He obviously fancies himself a cutting in forward, but he's so much more effective running down the right byeline. If you watch his highlight reels, you'll notice a good 30-40% is him on the right, despite the fact he barely ever played there. The 3 games i saw him play RW, not even for the whole game, Bruce always moved him back, he tore teams to pieces. Because he wasn't running into a team of players. Byeline every single time. With Trips to cut back to, or a dinked cross or dribble into the box, his options are limited but effective. Never had the head for the role on the left. Shame, because I'd have him as our RW over anyone at the club. He'd at least be worth 60 rather than 25, which I'm shocked about, particularly given its Saudi money. If it was Milan or someone, yea cud see it. Shame

Sad to see Maxi go, carried our team when no one else could. It's still the right move for the club at this time.

I'm cautiously optimistic having seen the stats. But I'm definitely one of those who love ASM. If we get 40 mil or so then fair enough but if we only get 25 as some people are saying id far rather we cut a handful of small value players like Fraser, Dummett, Ritchey, Lascelles etc. Mark my words, there will be a couple of games that we will really need him next year with CL football too. bringing on Barnes isnt gonna be a power move at any point - half the value of ASM is as soon as he comes on he draws the defense towards him and away from the other parts of the pitch. For ASM himself, maybe its best for him to go somewhere where you start games ( though I wouldn't wish saudi football on anyone)

Once again, fantastic video. I always feel that much better after watching your analyses.

I do agree with your sentiment, I love maxi and I thank him for the entertainment he's given us, especially during the dark, depressing years. I have nothing but good things to say about him and I wish we could just have both players. But I'm also very excited to welcome in the new players who will hopefully take us up a gear. And Barnes might just be one of those... Exciting times.

I think Maxi has been extremely hard done by. He's never really had a chance to rack up some minutes in Howe's system and I think he could have adapted. He was unplayable against City - the best team in the world - at the start of last season, and he was pretty good at the end of the season. He's not just a one-trick pony. His shooting is underrated (he very rarely misses the target), his crossing is massively underrated, and he can use both feet (unlike Mr Almiron). I'm honestly gutted he's leaving, absolutely love the guy.

Maxi is a super fun player to watch, but hes so bloody inconsistent. Yeah, Barnes isnt as flashy, but he will have much more of an impact for us.

Barnes is a classic MONEY BALL signing. Saw an amazing stat today re Saka and Barnes. Appearances 135/146. Goals 31/35. Assists 26/25. Barnes has done that in a relatively shite Leicester side these past few years while Saka has been in one of the most progressive sides. If Saka was sold he'd be at least £100m + Barnes at £35M looks like a Money Ball bargain. Agreed he lacks ASM's (occasional) excitement but on paper he's a massive upgrade. Possible bargain of this summer transfer window.

This video is being shared everywhere in the Facebook and Reddit forums, nice one, good analysis

Maxi's time is up at NUFC. This has been on the cards since Howe took over. It's the right decision objectively, but still a bitter pill. Ideally, we'd have both - Barnes to play 65 minutes, Maxi to play the last 30 against a tired defence. However, we need money and Maxi is our most saleable asset other than Bruno, Isak, Botman who were never leaving. We need to get used to seeing our favourite players from past seasons leave as we evolve our squad, Miggy will go next Summer, maybe Wilson and Longstaff (UEFA squad rules notwithstanding) too. How we replace them will be key to how we become genuine title challengers. Also, we have Isak to provide the flair we lose with Maxi, and he does it more consistently too. Barnes is an upgrade in almost every sense - output, consistency and less injuries (this is key).

Your vids are great, my man. Keep up the good work! 👍

Hey Adam, you’ve articulated how I feel about these transfers perfectly. I’m sure Barnes will do well at the toon, but I’m devastated at losing Magic man, because I’ve never played football manager, & I’m one of those people that watch football to be excited & love players that get you off your seat & try things …. it might not come off, but it’s exciting watching him try.

A lot of Almirons' goals were down to a give and go with either Trippier or Bruno, so I suspect we'll be as dangerous on the left as the right. However, it'll all be pointless if we keep Bruno as a 6. Joelinton and Joe Willock aren't as skilled as Bruno (and now Toniali) as that level of passing.

The same fans cried when jonjo shelvy went and look at what happened as a result of that

I agree that when ASM was on, he was brilliant to watch. The problem was that he was nowhere near consistent enough. At the end of the day I want my team to win, and I think we will win more with Barnes in the team than ASM.

It's mind blowing more clubs weren't in for Barnes. He had 13 goals last season as a winger playing for one of the worst teams in the league. $35M is a steal and a huge upgrade to Saint Maximin.

The ASM love in does my head in. He’s a throwback to the old regime and he stood out because he was the only flashy player we had. He’s entirely useless now that we’ve changed systems and brought in better midfielders and forwards. His time is up. Appreciate the couple years of service, but enough is enough. Couple in his injuries and his mercurial temperament and consistency, it’s beyond time he moved on. Also Isak replicates the exact same dribbling ability that ASM has. He already showed it multiple times last season and even on that Ashby goal in the Rangers match. The club has moved on from needing ASM.

One of the best players in our modern era, sad to see him go, one of my favourite footballers of all time

Great observation. The give-and-go one, two is exactly where Bruno and Almiron had so much success last season. Linking Bruno and Barnes up can only mean more goals. I'm excited. 😃

Not an upgrade per se, it's a change in direction, personally it concerns me that we're sacrificing our game changing maverick for someone who can be countered by the kind of positional diligence which you will come up against at the highest level, if the ASM sale is to fund Livramento then I'm even less keen, I think there's a place in the squad for both Barnes & Maxi

Sad to see Maxi leave but with the sale we get 30 or so million added to our FFP spend right now, so we can get Barnes, 8-9 mil a year, and now get a CB, RB, and maybe a squad depth CDM. Unfortunately Diaby is going to Ville.

Really good explanation, including the description of the Steve Bruce era. Love the pregnant pause - " it ..... worked". Just often enough to save them from relegation. Barnes' one-twos should be really good at unlocking packed defences. But Saint-Maximin could do things that nobody else could, and turn a game. I'm greedy, I would want them both, maybe in the same team. Newcastle nowadays are solid enough that they could probably manage with one luxury player. And they need a bigger squad to cope with Champions League. ASM might be useful in any games where Newcastle aren't able to dominate possession and territory - against Man City for example?

Some great videos here, Adam. Nice work!

Saint max is why you love football. Saint max single handily entertain the region. Saint max’s name was first chosen when having a kick about the park. Thank you maxi

Very interesting take, I like the personal side of it. I’m not a Newcastle fan, but I agree, we need to appreciate the players who bring us joy and excite us more than we do.

Mr Clery, you’re very good at this! Great video, I’m not excited by Barnes, and I’m devastated Maxi is gone. I will be less excited watching us without him which for me means something aswell, but ehhh trust the process.

Yeah I’m sad to see him go, he always gets me glued to the game and gets my hopes up when he comes on. What a player.

Remember all those bids that Newcastle had to fend off from top flight PL, European and CL clubs for ASM, just to keep him at our club? No? Me neither.

Brilliant op. Ed. I find myself completely agreeing with you, but I’m excited to see Barnes playing for us this season and happy for Maxi getting the move he wanted. Thanks for all the years of hard work for us

Another excellent analysis of what qualities players have to benefit the team. Although I did enjoy Maxi, I do feel it's time for the change. When Isak played on Left he was just as destructive as Maxi. Barnes has unbelievable stats, yes he doesn't excite me as a signing however after the takeover I trust in what Howe & his team is doing.

Maxi is what your heart would go with Barnes is what your head would go with

I agree and this transfer makes me very sad. I wish we could have both players. Damn FFP

Maxi tore Man Citeh* apart last August. I stopped off at Wetherby on the way home from that game (in colours, obvs) and found myself in a sea of Sky Blue. All of them raved about him to me and couldn't believe why 'We hadn't signed him'. He's that good. I will miss him and £25M** is derisory *European Champions **Reported fee

I'm hoping Isak can kind of take over in regards to the entertainment that you would get from ASM. ASM was my favourite player but Isak is truly world class

Love this vid and feel much the same - I would say maxi will be missed in games where an impact sub is needed to give us something completely different - particular in champs league.

All Newcastle fans love❤ him and I’m sure the fans of all the other sides in the prem will miss him. Good luck maxi

I get what you're saying and I'm closer to agreeing than not, but I absolutely love this transfer. Would have preferred to keep Maxi but rules are rules and if its 1 or the other I chose Barnes. Results are what counts, Goals get the results and Barnes slaughters Maxi at Goals. As you mentioned that flair brings excitement, I think this is the anticipation of the excitement of a goal. We get out of our seats in anticipation of a goal when we see Maxi twist and turn and beat a couple defenders because we expect the end product. That excitement will still be there when you can see the one two before it comes off but then actually get to top that off with a celebration. And for that reason I think Barnes is definitely better than Maxi, I'm not upset that Maxi has gone but I am grateful for his time with us. But great Video. Thanks

i miss maxi he was our best player during the bad times and he was able to inspire some hope in our club he was a hero on tyneside

Great Video loved ASM sad to see him go Happy to see Ashley Barnes Join us Sad day as ASM was Magic for us some great moments of Play- West Mercian Toon-

I agree with nearly everything you say, apart from the Bruce bashing, I feel thats the easy cop out, but Bruce did have ASM, and did use that tactic with him,. The one gripe I have with your take on this, is Bruce, and while im not a Bruce fan in any shape or form, the way you set the team up and said this is how Bruce set us up, You have to remember that Saint Rafa played exactly the same way, but he had Miggy to sit and make those long runs with zero support, Pardew used Jonas Gutierrez in this way, turning him from an attacking left winger into some hybrid DMC/LB that burst forward. this whole style of football is not football. Im not sad to see ASM go, he is a game changer, but only 1 in every 10 games, he wears to many bandages, and by 65 mins you never know if he is tired or injured. what i will give him, he was exciting to watch in dull games, and at that time, you were thankful for those little things. Im looking forward to this season more than any other in the last 15 years, for once we have a squad, coaches, upper management and mostly the fans all on the same page, and all I hope for is to be challenging top 4 again, be in amongst the so called top teams. 🙏

I like Barnes but we lack quality at RW more than the left. Joelinton and Gordon will likely play out there *Isak, Willock, Anderson, Murphy and Ritchie can all cover). On the right, Almiron/Murphy isn't a top 8 attack, let alone top 4. We buy Barnes for €45m, Villa get Diaby for €50m - time will tell but I think Villa have by far got the better deal - Diaby is 2 years younger with even better g/a record than Barnes, most importantly, he's two-footed (mainly left though) and can play on the right. I really fear Villa this season, they're recruiting so well and Emery seems to have far bigger pulling power than Howe.

Absolutely hit the nail on the head with this video. Brilliant

I think you've absolutely summed it up perfectly there. Barnes is a great player, great signing and is a better fit for this new Newcastle jigsaw Eddie is making...but I just absolutely adored ASM and you're right, he's why you watch football. He's a personality on and off the pitch and he was a joy to have in the team. It's bittersweet.

Saint-Maximin is my favourite player and he was the one who got me support Newcastle... It's sad that he's leaving... Wish they could just sell someone else else but whatever happens ASM is my player and Newcastle is my team...

Thanks for this video! I totally agree with you! Just a shame Maxi couldn't adapt his game to this new style. Imagine maxi playing like barns when needed... gonna miss him, but we need end product to progress

By far they best video on ASM and Barnes IV seen. Agree 100 percent

Summed up my thoughts precisely. Good video

ASM was always a heart attack to watch but he has become an expensive luxury on this team. I am happy he will get to express his “joie de vivre” to adoring fans of another club who can also fall in love with his talents. Welcome Harvey and howay the lads!

Pain 😢 surely if city can be crowned champions despite the infractions we can break FFP and keep gucci

Adam where did you get the no sponsor shirt? Looks great! I thought only Chelsea had one.

I love this guy! Kills me that so many people speak badly of him. But the way I see it is in a few years time. Everyone will speak of him glowingly as they do. Ben afaria. And it's quite possible at the time people were saying the same thing about him when he was still playing for the team.

This is magnificent Adam, thank you

Would of loved to of kept Maxi, but I could only see him playing as an impact sub. He didn't have the pressing / defensive aspect of his game to fit into the Howe's gameplan.

You've articulated my feelings almost exactly here. Harvey will improve the starting 11 no doubt but I can definitely see an away champions league tie when it's a tight 0-0 and you need some explosive magic off the bench and everyone is thinking "made for Maxi this like". Thank you for your service Sir

Good video mate , I’ve subscribed 👍🏼

Great video Adam!

Think you’re spot on. It’s time to move on, but that doesn’t make me miss him any less. He was our crack when things were absolutely terrible, but we’re in a different place now and he just doesn’t give us what we need.

Pre Isak going past 5 players and getting an assist I would have agreed Maxi was irreplaceable as incredibly exciting.

I watched the Rangers match and Toonali's debut. The interesting thing was that Toonali also does a bit of 1,2 given and go. Obviously he sits back more as a #6 but with Toonali doing that and now Barnes coming in, it makes you see what Howe is trying to do. As for ASM, I was never overly keen on him. I respect what he did and gave to the club. In a time of darkness, he was a shining torch who entertained the crowed. Even if we knew we were never gonna win something under Ashley, we could always count on being entertained. However. That only lasts for so long. ASM is a maverick, one who doesn't track back like he should and play defensively. He did work on that a bit this past season and I noticed him doing it, which is great. However, he wasn't great at it. Couple that with his proness to injury and you get this... selling of him to fund another player. At this point it's a matter of what we want as a club and fanbase. We've had the flair, entertaining players... but we haven't won owt since the FA cup in 55'. It's now time to give the other end a try, less flair and more tactic.

Yea sad to see hum go as well, but looking forward to seeing how Barnes gets on next season

A true Newcastle legend 😭 Thanks for all the entertainment Maxi. I also prefer football to stats.

Nice take on the Barnes/ASM debate. We all love a 'maverick' player, but time moves on, and things change. The game has changed. If Barnes continues with his stats (goals & assists) he will become loved and ASM will be not forgotten, but a distant memory, a bit like an ex lass, who gets replaced by a 'keeper'. Times change.

A Great Video would be "How Antony Could Perform Like Saka"

I'm certainly never going to go in on Maxi, because he was all of the good things mentioned in the video... however... his injuries and fitness are, dare I say it, his Achilles heel. He missed so many games last season, and then needs about 5 matches to get sharp again. In addition, he is regularly subbed off not long after the hour mark in matches he starts because he runs out of steam. I hope he is luckier with injuries in future and has a good remainder of his career, but usually injury situations get worse rather than better.

I'm going to miss him, like you said, he's such a pleasure to watch when he's in form and everything clicks. But Eddie Howe is all about the team performance and I do believe Barnes will fit into the squad better and contribute more goals and assists. At the end of the day, especially with Champions League next season, that's what we need!

“They way this system - bunny ears ‘worked’ - bunny ears” just says it all. Harvey Barnes will become a much better player under EH where as Maxie has got about as good as he’s gonna get. I must admit that I’ve always moaned about Maxie although with the expected low block we’ll need a ASM type player but maybe just not ASM! Nice Tash, btw.

A sensational player on his day, but those days were let's face it few and far between.

Love Maxi, and hate to see him go, especially if it's only for 25 million. If he stayed for next season and was free of injury I could have really imagine him kicking on to another level. That said... I like Barnes, he'll fit in well and hopefully do even better than he has for Leicester. Maybe toon fans will just get to enjoy seeing more goals go in

WBA fan here. Brilliant vid, but i do however think its slightly reductive to simply say Saint Maximin is exciting and thus Barnes is boring. If you have watched Barnes over 90 minutes week in week out, rather than just highlights, he is such an exciting player and is so much more than just a give-and-go-merchant. His loan spell at West Brom absolutely highlighted his all round game. He may not be a technically gifted dribbler in terms of taking defenders on, but he is absolutely rapid and is great at carrying the ball over large distances at speed. He's great at shooting at goal from distance too, as well as being pretty decent positionally when asked to track back. Ultimately, when he gets the ball out wide, more often than not something happens, and surely that's exactly what you want from your winger? I understand the upset about Saint Maximin, and he is a fabulous talent. We saw Matheus Pereira do things most of us have never seen in a WBA shirt for 2 seasons, only to follow the Saudi money too. He was replaced by Alex Mowatt. Imagine how that feels.

barnes doesn't turn up in the big games but does really well against the lessor teams. maxi turns up against the big teams but goes missing in the lessor games

Great analysis as always. With Maxi, gutted to see him go but he leaves a legend rather than fading away.

Super Mac, Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley, Gazza - players who broke your heart when they left. Maxi - loved your time here but we are moving on......

I'm not sad to see Maxi go, I'm disappointed. He had so much potential to better himself and become a legend under Howe but when I watched him against Gateshead in the first pre season friendly, I saw the old ASM. No tracking back, low workrate when out of possession. A player like ASM could and should be scoring hatricks against teams like gateshead (no disrespect to the Heed). So I'm happy we've found a replacement who is also young and more consistent.

The best balanced Maxi vid I’ve seen!

Yup. That pretty much sums it up. Maxi's been brilliant for us _when it clicks_, but I think he's reached his top level. Going into the CL, and continue to push the league and cups, he could definitely be that same(ish) player for us, but I don't think he could ever elevate his individual performance and help the collective progress (much) further. In this case, my scale is tipping slighly in the direction of Barnes being an upgrade in pure numbers rather than Maxi being more of a "football fan's player".

Another great video 👍

He had so much flair, and was a joy to watch when on his game. The Louis Vuitton do-rag was an all-time classic football fashion statement.

Each player brings something different. Fast n silky when he goes on his runs. Am sure many agrees with me. Different requirements at different stages needed to see the team grow. Will miss him.

I'll miss maxi He's One of the best players for Newcastle united 🥺🥺😭😭😭

You totally echo my feelings. Objectively, the swap seems to make sense, the numbers don’t lie. However, I work in qualitative research and so numbers don’t tell me the full picture. ASM was a joy to watch and for that reason alone I’m sad he’s leaving, like I was when David Kelly left which was also rationally the right decision. Ultimately we should look back fondly on Maxi’s time as the one shining light in the utter dross that was Bruceball, then we must clear our eyes and focus firmly on the brighter future ahead.

great deal but i'm heartbroken still. i love Maxi, will definitely keep and eye on him after his move.

Maxi was the shining light in the darkness that was "Bruce ball" I'll be gutted to see him go, I think he's one of a kind and like you said, it's not only about numbers Maxi has the ability to make a world class defender look a tit and turn a boring game on it's head in an instant If he goes, I'm sure the majority of Newcastle fans will have nothing but fond memories of his time with us

Agree with everything. Christ, Maxi just made games exciting. I can see the team is probably better off this way. But watching a man tear down some of the best defences in the league by himself is really the most fun football to watch. It was nice to have that in our team (and know we were the only ones with it)

Barnes plays for another very transitional team in Leicester. Could struggle against oppositions sitting back

Quoting Bruce’s team now is surreal. Dubravka, Murphy, Krafth, Lascelles, Clark, Ritchie, Almiron, Hayden, Shelvey, ASM, Wilson. By God, we have improved.

It may be an illusion but it seems that most goals come down the centre and right. I refer you to ASM and Burn on the left. Maybe HB and a more mobile left back will pay dividends.

Sad to see him go but think it’s not only Barnes his move helps fund, there’s hopefully others too (Livramento etc?). On that basis makes sense…but what a player ASM was for us.

My experiences of mercurial french attacking players strated with Ginola. I feel as sad ASM is leaving, about as much as I was Robert. Just not consistent enough. Forever grateful for keeping us sort of potent under Bruce, but the time is right. cryptic social media messages ultimately leading to a move to Saudi, says it all.