While Arsene Wenger’s judgement has come under plenty of scrutiny of late – come on Arsene, nobody wants a World Cup every two years – even at the age of 71 his ability to spot a diamond in the rough remains undiminished.
“Thierry Henry had the timing of the smartest footballers. He was also very strong physically, and technically he could do everything,” the legendary former Arsenal manager told Der Spiegel last year.
“In fact, there’s a player in the Bundesliga who reminds me of him – Marcus Thuram from Borussia Monchengladbach.”
We’ve certainly seen our fair share of so-called ‘new Henrys’ over the years – from David Bellion to Anthony Martial – but the son of World Cup winner Lilian Thuram definitely has some similarities to the one-time Arsenal skipper.
Is Everton target Marcus Thuram really the next Thierry Henry?
Although a striker by trade Thuram Jr is at his devastating best when drifting out to the left, giving right-backs a nasty case of twisted blood.
While the Gladbach star can’t match Henry’s impeccable goal-record – 25 across the past two seasons is impressive rather than outstanding – there’s no shortage of Premier League clubs willing to take a punt on a player who has formed one of the Bundesliga’s most feared strike partnerships alongside Henry-loving Alassane Plea.
Liverpool and Arsenal have both been linked in the past 12 months while Tottenham Hotspur held talks with Thuram in July, as reported by L’Equipe.
According to Calciomercato, Everton have now joined the race for the Italy-born France international, a versatile and skilful attacker who would add much-needed depth to an Everton front line that, while talented, remains worryingly over-reliant on the goals of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The next test Thuram faces, however, is to prove he’s capable of adding a ruthless streak to his speed, skill and style.
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