Marcus Thuram in action for Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga. (imago Images)
According to a report by RMC Sport (h/t Daily Mail), Marcus Thuram is set to leave Borussia Monchengladbach this summer, with Tottenham Hotspur the likely destination. Spurs have prioritised signing the Frenchman and the negotiations are ‘at an advanced stage’. He was signed by the German side in 2019.
And since then, he has impressed heavily under Marco Rose. But it now seems like the young winger, who is the son of former FIFA World Cup winner, Lilian Thuram, wants a move to N17. Spurs are yet to appoint a manager but Fabio Paratici of Juventus has joined the Lilywhites as Director of Football.
The 23-year-old is an exciting winger that is rated well in Bundesliga. He bagged 11 goals and 12 assists in all competitions this season. And that comes after the 2019/20 season where he had a total tally of 14 goals and 9 assists for the German side. So there is no doubt that he can bring goals to Spurs.
Former Saint Etienne coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, showed his trust in Thuram when he said,
“He’s going to be a great player. He’s going to have a great future.”
And not just that, but Marco Rose, his coach at Monchengladbach, thinks that he can get even better in the future.
“I believe that Marcus is far from the end of his development. There’s a lot more to come from him. Marcus is a footballer who benefits greatly from his physique and stature. He’s also a fine technician, who can always deal with situations in tight spaces.”
Another thing about Thuram is his versatility, which for Tottenham, would be like strengthening multiple positions with one signing. He can play on either wing as well as down the middle, even as a second striker. French World Cup-winning coach Didier Deschamps, who was also a teammate of Marcus’ father Lilian, thinks the same.
“He’s improving. It’s promising. He plays as a second central striker and is one of the players we’re following. Even if his dad wasn’t called Lilian, we’d follow him anyway.”
And the praise doesn’t stop there. Arsene Wenger has likened him to the great Thierry Henry while Thuram himself recalled how he got a vote of confidence from Neymar once in Ligue 1.
All of the points mentioned above aside, Thuram will add depth to the Spurs side. Gareth Bale played a chunk of games for Spurs down the right-hand side. But he was loaned from Real Madrid, and a return to the Spanish capital is on the cards for him.
Steven Bergwijn and Son Heung-min make for great depth on the wings, but apart from that, Erik Lamela is in the final 12 months of his Spurs contract. With Thuram also capable of playing down the centre, Carlos Vinicius’ return to SL Benfica would not hurt Spurs so much when it comes to depth in attack.
