Weah, Kluivert and Thuram all set for big moves this summer.
Yes, you read that right - and it’s 2023. By Oran Darragh.
Throughout the 1990’s and beyond, George Weah, Patrick Kluivert and Lilian Thuram dominated European football, and each are widely regarded as some of the greatest to ever grace a football pitch in their respected positions.
Not only did their personal, innovative styles of play influence a generation of budding footballers (and will continue to do so in the future), but now, football fans are seeing some familiar surnames hitting the headlines in the 2023 summer transfer window…
• Timothy Weah to Juventus
According to transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, Italian giants Juventus are currently in advanced negotiations with Lille for the permanent transfer of Timothy Weah for a fee in the region of £10 million, with personal terms already agreed between the club and the player.
The move would see Weah enter the next phase in his career, following in the footsteps of his father, George, in swapping Ligue 1 for Serie A, who himself transferred from Paris Saint-Germain to AC Milan back in 1995.
After previously unsuccessful spells at both Paris Saint-Germain and Scottish champions, Celtic, Timothy Weah will be hoping that his proposed move to Juventus will help him reach the potential he was destined to have.
At the age of 23, Weah has made 132 senior appearances among three different clubs, and although he is originally a winger by trade, he has only managed to score 14 goals in his professional career – a ratio of 0.1 goals per game, which does not make for great reading from a suitor’s perspective.
However, the United States international has recently adapted to his game, showing his incredible versatility, with the majority of his football last season being played as a full-back, with his impressive performances clearly catching the eye of those in Turin.
When compared to all full backs in Europe’s top five leagues, as well as clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League over the past year, Weah boasts some pretty impressive stats – particularly from an attacking standpoint. The Juventus target ranks within the top 4% of fullbacks for progressive passes received, with an average of 8.7 passes per 90, as well as in the top 9% in regards toprogressive carries per 90.
To add to that, Weah’s ball progression is further highlighted through his total carrying distance per 90, in which he ranks among the top 4% of full backs, with an average carry distance of 288.28 yards per game.
Having played in a forward role for most of his career, the 23-year-old has transferred his attacking capabilities into his new position, ranking in the top 3% of full backs in total shots per 90, with an average of 1.54. To couple that, Weah also has an average of 82.2% pass completion rate per 90 – an important stat for a very important position on the field.
Of course, football is more than a game of statistics, it is a game of determination, potential and mentality also, and Weah will bring each of those to his new club in abundance. Despite limited game time so far in his professional career, Weah has been a stalwart for the United States national team since his debut at just 18, as well as that, he also has quite a few trophies in his display cabinet, achieving domestic success after every club he has played at so far.
The son of Liberian President, George, is a two-time Ligue 1 winner – once with Paris Saint-Germain and once with his current club, Lille, back in 2021. He tasted further success in France in the French Super Cup which he has also won twice, again, once with PSG and once with Lille.
During a loan spell at Celtic in the 2018/19 season, Weah also played his part in helping Celtic win the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup under Brendan Rodgers, who has since been re-appointed as manager of the Glasgow giants.
Without doubt, Timothy Weah is yet to reach his full potential, but there are definitely signs within his game that show he has the capabilities to reach the same heights as his father once did. Hopefully his proposed move to Juventus this summer will help him further his career, and once again have people talking about a Weah as an influence on European football.
• Justin Kluivert to AFC Bournemouth
Following an impressive second half of the season under Gary O’Neill that seen the club retain their status in the Premier League, Bournemouth have plans to make major changes to their squad to ensure security and improve upon their performances in the topflight once again next season.
The first of these changes came in terms of management, with Gary O’Neill being sacked and replaced by Spaniard, Andoni Iraola, to the shock of a lot of Premier League fans considering the position Bournemouth were in upon O’Neill’s arrival on a caretaker basis.
However, the decision was made and as such, new man Iraola is keen to bolster his squad in this transfer window, with his first order of business being the signing of AS Roma winger, Justin Kluivert.
The 24-year-old has spent the last three seasons out on loans with RB Leipzig, OGC Nice and Valencia respectively, however, he has failed to make a statement impression at any of them, looking like a shadow of the teenager who, just like his father, Patrick, came through the ranks at his boyhood club, Ajax, where he made his senior debut at just 17 years old, in a 3-1 league victory over PEC Zwolle.
The attacker scored his first senior goal for Ajax in a 1-1 draw against SBV Excelsior in March 2017 – exactly 10 years and one day since his father’s last career goal – and following a string of consistently impressive performances in the Netherlands, Justin Kluivert was tipped for stardom, with Europe’s elite looking to secure his signature for their future projects.
One of the most interested teams was Manchester United, and famously, Red Devils fans will remember an interesting conversation between Kluivert and then United boss, José Mourinho after the 2018 Europa League Final in Stockholm, which only fuelled speculation about a sensational transfer. However, among all of the options put forward to him, the winger chose AS Roma as his next destination as they offered the clearest path to nurture his abilities – and of course there was a little persuasion from footballing legend, Francesco Totti, who called Kluivert’s father to convince him to join the Italian outfit.
The winger got off to a flying start in Rome, even becoming their youngest ever Champions League goal-scorer in a 5-0 home victory over Viktoria Plzeň in October 2018. His performances also led to him breaking into the Dutch national team under Ronald Koeman, however, opportunities eventually dried up for Kluivert, and he left the club on consecutive loan spells in order to get more playing time, and to try and prise his way back into the international fold.Despite these spells not quite working out for Kluivert, he will be hoping that his move to England will help him rejuvenate his career.
Much like his father, Justin Kluivert has taken a similar career route before playing in the Premier League, with experiences in Holland, Italy and Spain under his belt, which he will hope can help him adapt to England’s top division as quickly as possible.
Kluivert’s transfer to AFC Bournemouth has now been completed and announced, for a fee in the region of £9.5 million.
• Marcus Thuram to Inter Milan
The 2022/23 season was definitely one to remember when it comes to Marcus Thuram, son of legendary World Cup-winning defender, Lilian Thuram.
The Borussia Monchengladbach striker finished the campaign with 23 goal contributions in 32 games, which in minutes played, equates to 0.77 goals per 90 – an impressive statistic by anyone’s standards, which has led to a huge speculation over his future.
As well as through his performances on the domestic scene, Thuram also turned the heads of potential suitors with France in the 2022 World Cup. Despite not scoring in the tournament, Thuram’s pace and power were clearly on show, as France reached the World Cup final, before narrowly missing out to Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
With Thuram’s contract set to expire on July 1st and no renewal in place from Monchengladbach, his options are endless with top clubs all over Europe looking to secure his services for the upcoming season.
Following the confirmed departure of the aforementioned Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, Thuram was heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, however, this possibility has now been ruled out after the club pulled out of negotiations. This has left a move to Italy looking increasingly likely, with AC Milan pushing hard for the player.
When compared against forwards across the top 5 leagues, as well as clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League over the last year, the Frenchman ranks among the top 8% for shots on target per 90, and in the top 12% for both touches in the attacking penalty area and progressive carries, with 6.25 and 2.69 per 90 respectively – further proving his attacking threat.
The Frenchman’s attacking runs were also on display last season, with Thuram ranking among the top 13% of forwards for successful take-ons – another impressive attribute to add to his resumé.
Although multiple clubs from the Premier League and Bundesliga, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich have been linked with a free transfer for Thuram, Inter have stolen the player from the clutches of their rivals AC Milan. Milan were keen to match his ambitions, as he would have replaced the retiring Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but it now seems as though Inter is to be his destination.
With Marcus Thuram following in the footsteps of his father with this new experience in Serie A, can he lead the Nerazzurri to once again lift the Scudetto?
• Khéphren Thuram to Liverpool
The second, younger sibling of Lilian Thuram’s sons is OGC Nice midfielder, Khéphren, who is thought to be high on the priority list of Liverpool.
For the majority of last season, Jurgen Klopp’s men struggled to emulate the dazzling form and controlled football that football fans have come accustomed to from Liverpool in recent years, and a lot of the reason as to why this happened was due to their lack of quality (and depth) in midfield.
It is no secret to football fans that a revamp is needed in the middle of the park for the Reds, with Fabinho looking a shadow of the player he once was, Thiago struggling to stay fit, and captain, Jordan Henderson looking out of his depth in the ever fast-paced Premier League.
This, coupled with the outgoings of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner, has leet major room for improvement for Jurgen Klopp, and that midfield revolution has already begun through the £35 million bargain signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton, and reports suggest that Khéphren Thuram could be next.
Much like his father, Thuram is a naturally defensively minded midfielder, however, his attacking capabilities from his position are what sets him apart from others and give reason as to why he is high on the priority list of some of Europe’s top clubs.
For progressive carries, Thuram ranks in the top 6 percentile when compared to midfielders across Europe’s top 5 leagues and clubs competing in the Champions League and Europa League. As well as that, he ranks in the top 9% for successful take-ons – meaning he typically dominates in his midfield role.
Although only initial negotiations have taken place between Liverpool and OGC Nice for the midfielder, personal terms are not thought to pose a problem when it comes to it, with Thuram reportedly ‘very keen’ on a move to Merseyside this summer.
According to multiple sources, it would take a bid in the region of £40 million for OGC Nice to consider the sale of Khéphren Thuram.