Each day we pick out a player and cut through the noise to give analytical, objective insight. Monday's focus is on reported Chelsea and Manchester United target Marcus Thuram.
- Age: 25
- Position: Striker
- Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
- Country: France
With Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski leaving the Bundesliga and thriving in pastures new, Marcus Thuram could be the next striker to keep an eye on this summer, especially with his contract set to expire in the summer.
Thuram's exceptional form this season has seen him score 10 league goals for Gladbach; a silver lining in a rather underwhelming first full season for the club under former Norwich manager Daniel Farke.
The France international's uptick in form is all the more impressive when you consider the fact that he only scored three times in the 2021/22 season.
Scoring 10 this season from an xG of 10.10 points to his finishing ability and a team like Chelsea, who are currently lacking for goals under Graham Potter, could certainly do with someone of his profile.
Looking deeper into his underlying data, Thuram is consistently generating a healthy volume of shots in dangerous areas. This is evidenced in his xG per95, currently 0.53 in the Bundesliga according to data from Infogol, almost as good as current top-scorer, Niclas Fullkrug (0.56).
In terms of his shot volume, Thuram has averaged 3.30 shots per95 this season and has been able to find space in dangerous positions in the box to get shots away or be a target man for crosses - either way, his activity in the penalty box is encouraging to look at, for any top side.
Thuram's resurgence has been fuelled by a change in role as he is now a lot more central as opposed to previously playing off the left. A larger volume of his shots have come from inside the box as seen on his shot map.
A quick look at his heat map shows the areas where he has been most active for Gladbach this season, not just in the penalty box but also in deeper areas where he has been able to link play with the more technical players in attack.
He has also been a very effective ball carrier and has the second-most chance-creating ball carries (26) in the Bundesliga according to Opta, behind only Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby.
Using his pace to get in behind, his intelligence in holding up the ball and being an effective presence on the last line against defenders has seen him become a valuable player and one who looks ready for a step up after several years developing in the German top flight.
