In an age of huge transfer fees, Serie A giants Inter Milan continue to rely on loan signings and canny transfers to push their ambition when it comes to winning trophies due to reported financial issues. With the Nerazzurri now looking to add Porto striker Mehdi Taremi and Napoli midfielder Piotr Zieliński to their ranks on free deals in time for next season, we take a look at how their latest such acquisition, winger Marcus Thuram, has done since moving to San Siro last July.
By Nathan Evans
Since a young child, Marcus Thuram has been in the spotlight. That was partly due to his footballing ability at a young age, but mostly because of his famous World Cup winning father, Lillian Thuram, who many recognise as one of the greatest modern-day defenders.
Unlike his dad though, Marcus has always been a more attacking player, operating mostly on the left wing but throughout his career, the French international has adapted his playing style to become more of an out-and-out striker in recent seasons. Part of Sochuax’s academy to begin with, spells with the club’s first team and then Guingamp, where he impressed, then saw him move across the border to Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany for a reported fee of €12 million.
It was with Gladbach where Thuram began to make his name on a wider scale. Across 134 competitive appearances for the Foals, the now 26-year-old netted 44 goals and recorded 29 assists. But with the German outfit beginning to struggle, Thuram decided to let his contract run out and in July 2023, Inter Milan were the team who managed to grab his signature, fighting off a plethora of interested clubs across Europe’s top five leagues (including rivals AC Milan).
Gladbach’s loss has been Inter’s massive gain ever since his free transfer move, as Thuram has hit the ground running at San Siro and has been a key part of Simone Inzaghi’s squad, who look set for Serie A glory this campaign.
In terms of direct output, last Saturday’s clash against Salernitana, a match in which Inter comfortably won 4-0, saw Thuram net his tenth goal of the Serie A campaign. His assured finish not only opened the scoring as his side took another significant step towards recapturing the Scudetto, but that strike also leaves him as the competition’s fourth top scorer behind only strike partner Lautaro Martínez (20), Juve’s Dušan Vlahović (13) and Milan’s Olivier Giroud (12). On top of that, he’s also delivered seven assists in the league so far, the third-most in the Italian top-flight as he looks to announce himself as one of Europe’s top all-round forwards before this campaign ends.
As mentioned before, despite starting out as a winger in his fledgling career, Thuram’s overall footballing intelligence has aided his move into a more central striker role with Inter. His movement both on and off the ball, perhaps due to his previous experience out wide sets him apart in Serie A, as his ability to roam causes defender’s headaches throughout matches and helps to give both himself, and his strike partner more room to thrive on the pitch. It also means that the 26-year-old is comfortable both playing with the ball into his feet or with making darting runs in behind the defence when appropriate. That’s especially brought the best out of Martínez, with the Argentina excelling this season with his level of finishing and as recently as early February he spoke to the press about his teammate saying; “Thuram is an incredible striker, he is so complete and works really hard, even in training. We are very happy to have him in the squad, he is an important player for our club.”
Couple that impactful movement and all-round tenacity to want to effect play whenever possible, with his fantastic control of the ball and the fact that he stands at around 6″3′, and it’s easy to see why the former Gladbach star is thriving at his new club.
We should also highlight the huge improvement in Thuram’s overall finishing. His return of 44 strikes in 134 appearances at his former club was impressive, but his quality and range of finishing has come on leaps and bounds during his short time with the Nerazzurri. Granted, all ten of his league goals have still come from inside the penalty area this term, but with seven coming courtesy of his right foot, two with his left and one with his head, he remains a constant threat for the Serie A champions by having the ability to bury his chances in a number of different ways.
Arguably, his best goal to date came on his Milan derby back in September as it showcased exactly what he’s about overall. Sprinting through the middle of the pitch on the counter-attack, Thuram was pushed wide by the pass before he sized up his defender, shifted the ball to his right, then smashed a shot right into the far top corner beyond the hapless goalkeeper.
But it must be highlighted that there’s plenty of other areas where Thuram has thrived so far at Inter. He isn’t averse at chipping in defensively, something which has delighted manager Inzaghi. In fact, of all strikers in Serie A this term, he ranks in the top 10% for most duels won (115) and ball recoveries made (43), whilst his large and powerful frame has also seen him win 47 aerial battles – an aspect of his game which has helped him to flourish both offensively and defensively in that regard. There’s also his impressive dribbling output this campaign, completing 26 successful take-ons with a success rate of 72.2%, one of the stronger figures in the competition and something that has helped him win three penalties to date, as well as help his side to relieve defensive pressure by progressing up the field in possession.
Simply put, alongside his stunning attacking output in terms of goals and assists this campaign, it’s his insatiable hard-working approach that has helped Marcus Thuram endear himself to the Inter faithful so quickly, yet his success in Milan so far also begs the question as to why more high-profile European clubs didn’t try their hardest to sign the French international last summer.
(Images from IMAGO)
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