Champions are like that. They show up at the France training camp in questionable clothing and piss off Jerome Rothen. But Marcus Thuram is he a champion? And if so, what kind of champion is it? On the first question, the suspicion that the answer is positive has already been there since last year: since his arrival atInterthe French striker has shown that he knows how to change roles and also that he is damn effective in his new guise. In a very short time he made both Dzeko and Lukaku forget. In this new season, he seems to take on the role of the finisher with greater reason. This is suggested by the seven goals scored, which make him the best scorer available to Simone Inzaghi at the start of the championship. And other data too.
To understand how Thuram’s football has changed, having arrived in Milan as an attacking winger and becoming more and more “nine” as time went by, we tried to compare, thanks to Comparisonatorthe data of this start with those of the last championship. Obviously, the comparison starts from two very different samples – thirty-five matchdays versus seven – but the reference to the average per match remains significant.
The first clear difference between one season and another is related to heath map of Thuram, which you can find in the image below: if last year he varied across the entire offensive front, in these first seven matchdays he has occupied the role of pure center forward with greater stability. A lot of data related to offensive play is growing, even considering secondary the fact – because it will probably get closer between now and the end of the championship – that he has gone from an average of 0.37 goals per 90′ to an average of 1 goal per game. The average xG increased (0.54 per 90 minutes against 0.38), as did the number of shots on target, perhaps the most significant figure: 1.86 per 90 minutes against 0.71. That’s an increase of 160 percent.
Conversely, statistics related to those who play further from goal decrease: successful dribbles drop from 1.49 per game to 0.86; Ball recoveries also decreased (from 2.34 to 1.86) and the total number of passes (from 17.77 to 13.57). The drop in the number of successful team actions is significant: from 3.8 on average per game last season to 1.14 currently, with a drop of 70 percent. Having weighed the aforementioned quantitative difference, there are indications that Thuram’s game – which remains quite close to the previous season in terms of assists – is approaching that of a pure nine. There’s a bit of continuity missing (the seven goals came in three games, he didn’t find the net in the other five), but the conditions are there.
The transition from a good support striker to a twenty-goal bomber, if successful, will further shine the market spotlight on Lillian’s son. We told you how Paris Saint-Germain, who in recent weeks has sent scouts to follow him, are monitoring him for an attack next summer. At the moment, his contract with Inter, expiring on 30 June 2028, includes a clause slightly higher than the 85 million euros. A two-sided coin: on the one hand, having reached zero, it would represent a sensational capital gain for the Viale della Liberazione company. Moreover, at a price not too far from market estimates: up TransfermarktThuram is valued at 65 million. On the other hand, the existence of a clause puts Inter under the sword of Damocles: if and when PSG – or whoever for it – puts that figure on the table, the Nerazzurri management will have no decision-making margins. Unless we start discussions for a renewal and eliminate the clause.
*Comparisonator is a football data comparison tool from 271 professional leagues around the world that compares players and clubs using over 300 different metrics.