Why Marcus Thuram is the perfect striker for Simone Inzaghi's Inter
If it was a certain Kylian Mbappe who wanted Thuram at Paris Saint Germain, Inter's new man must have something about him.
The last World Cup's top scorer had been impressed by his compatriot's impact off the bench in the final, when an assist from Thuram had allowed the France phenomenon to level the scoring against Argentina. It was an assist that had Mbappe thinking about a possible future partnership between the two.
Then, the market said otherwise, partly because of PSG's refusal to satisfy the man who did not want to renew his contract at the time. And so now Lilian Thuram's son is heading to Italy instead, where the Inter side that stole him from under the nose of rivals AC Milan awaits.
Perfect for Inzaghi
At 192cm and 90 kg, Thuram, 25, is a bulldozer at the disposal of the Nerazzurri; a perfect alternative to Romelu Lukaku, whether the Belgian stays or not, and a perfect partner for the untouchable Lautaro Martinez.
He's a striker who has steadily developed every area of his game year by year, even in the national team, improving his ability to combine with team-mates in particular.
In the World Cup final he was deployed as the centre forward of a front three in place of the very Olivier Giroud he will face in the upcoming derbies, but his size and ability to play with his back to goal allows him to be very well suited to a two-pronged attack too.
Although both for Borussia Monchengladbach and France he has often been deployed as a lone striker, his wide range of abilities allow him to pair well with dynamic forwards like that Mbappe or Lautaro. His power, of course, will make him the focal point of the attack, but a fluid rather than stable one, capable of getting in behind when he has to or dropping deep.
Multi-purpose striker
His figures are certainly not those of a goal machine, with the striker getting 13 goals in 30 appearances last year in the Bundesliga. However, his uniqueness lies in his ability to be a multi-purpose striker around whom others can best express themselves.
Put another way, no one should expect from Thuram the numbers of Lukaku in the 2020/21 season, but more of a Dzeko-like impact. The Bosnian, who has just left for Fenerbahce, only got nine league goals last season, but was crucial to his team nonetheless.
The versatility of Thuram, a striker who is happy to sacrifice himself for the team, could be an extra weapon for Inzaghi, who has chosen him to replace Dzeko. He is certainly more graceful and blessed with superior technique, but is also capable of acting as a foil for his team-mates.
Arriving on a free transfer, Thuram looks to be the dream signing for Inter. Even Mbappe says so.
