Nice – Paris – “He’s fantastic”: Thuram, soon the new face of PSG?

Over the past six years, PSG has recruited more players from Porto (3), FC Barcelona (3) or Inter Milan (3) than French Ligue 1 players (2). Hugo Ekitike and Kylian Mbappé, since it is indeed them in question, are the exceptions of international transfer windows which have long favored Leonardo’s Italian networks. Unlike Lyon, which built its dominance 20 years ago by draining its opponents of its best elements, unlike Bayern, which feeds its power by devouring the stars of other Bundesliga clubs, Paris does not care at all about Ligue 1.

However, and this is the whole paradox, the French championship is recognized as the best breeding ground in Europe and Ile-de-France as the goose that lays the golden eggs. When the Premier League, Real, Barça or the Bundesliga fight over the best French hopes in L1, Paris looks elsewhere. This is how, over the past two years, Paris has missed out on, among others, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jules Koundé, William Saliba, Wesley Fofana or Randal Kolo Muani. All the new cracks of the France team have been snubbed by Paris, which nevertheless had the means to afford them much cheaper than what they are worth today.

But PSG decided to change the paradigm. If we are to believe information from the Parisian, the club from the capital wants to reorient its strategy on the transfer market around young French players with high potential and athleticism. Among them, Khéphren Thuram marries the composite portrait: young, full of potential, strong in duels and just a French international. From 6 to 15 years old, the youngest of the Thuram siblings discovered football in the Paris region, notably at the Olympique de Neuilly in the Hauts-de-Seine. A course that pleases the management of PSG. The capital club wants to reconnect with its base by recruiting players involved in the PSG project and no longer stars attracted by the Qatari checkbook.

Thuram could be the embodiment of the turn that PSG wants to take. The one who has always been considered “the strongest of the family” by his big brother Marcus is having an exceptional second part of the season under the orders of Didier Digard, his mentor. “Chephren, he is fantasticassures the Nice coach. He is very hardworking, very attentive. On rest days, he is at the training center. He listens and implements. It has room for improvement and it is in demand.“

“You feel that he understands the game. He knows when to do things and that’s a very big quality“, praised Dante for his part, who has seen others. For six months, Thuram has taken a step which has opened the doors of the France team to him. From now on, unless Ineos inflates his project quite clearly, the Aiglons will have a hard time holding him back.”I am convinced that he will have a very big careerrecently recognized Didier Digard. But he needs to stay a little longer in Nice to continue to progress.“Not sure that PSG hears it that way.