LYON, FRANCE – MAY 16: Florian Thauvin of Marseille walks off dejected after the UEFA Europa League Final between Olympique de Marseille and Club Atletico de Madrid at Stade de Lyon on May 16, 2018 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Tottenham are right to search for attacking reinforcements this summer, but they can do better than this Marseille goal scorer.
Mauricio Pochettino clearly wants to add some wide, attacking talent this summer. Florian Thauvin played that role perfectly for Marseille last season. Still, Spurs would be wise to look elsewhere for a quality attacker.
Spurs fans certainly understand the difficulty some wingers can have making the adjustment from Ligue 1 to the Premier League. Clinton N’Jie and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou both came to North London with high expectations. N’Jie was jettisoned after an ugly stretch for the club and N’Koudou will likely be sold this summer.
Their failures, in and of themselves, should keep Tottenham pause about the prospect of acquiring Thauvin. Disqualifying all French wingers based on those two flops would be unfair though. Unfortunately for Thauvin, there’s added reason to be skeptical about his ability to make it at Tottenham.
The most compelling reason Tottenham should snub Thauvin is because of his disastrous spell at Newcastle during the 2015/16 season for the Magpies. He made 13 uninspiring appearances before was mercifully allowed to return to France. He failed to register a goal or assist in England and left with a pitiful Whoscored.com player rating average of just 6.20.
It’s certainly possible that Thauvin has improved in the last couple of years. He did pour in 22 goals and 11 assists in Ligue 1 play for Marseille this season. That’s still not enough to erase the memories of his disastrous time in England.
Tottenham simply must accept the reality that some players can’t hack it in the English Premier League. Thauvin seems like this sort of player. His struggles in England largely stems from his lack of physical strength. He’s the very definition of a finesse player. He has plenty of skill and pace with the ball, but he contributes almost nothing on defense.
That’s not the description of a player who will thrive under Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs clearly should look elsewhere for attacking talent this summer.
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