This summer we are running a series profiling 50 exciting players under the age of 25 — who they are, how they play, and why they could be attracting interest in the coming transfer windows.
You can find all our profiles so far here. Until now, we have run the rule over a Leverkusen livewire, the France forward who went from zero to €100million in the space of a year, and the hottest free agent of the summer (who also happens to be the older brother of our latest subject).
Yes, next up is another Thuram…
Khephren Thuram is capable of one of the great pieces of football skill that has disappeared in the past decade: dribbling through central midfield.
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It is an ability that many retired legends of the game displayed, leading some fans to believe the dwindling number of players who do it now is because the standard of football in the 2020s is worse compared to that of the early 21st century.
But the game hasn’t got worse. Instead, the middle of the park has become constricted by collective pressing schemes with teams fitter now than ever, meaning many players opt to pass rather than take a risk in running with the ball. It takes a certain kind of chutzpah to try to carry the ball from A to B — let alone do it in central midfield. It’s a chutzpah Thuram has in spades.
Want an example of him at his very best? Take a look at his goal for Nice against Nantes in January 2022. The move starts after Nice right-back Jordan Lotomba breaks into space inside, with Thuram parallel to him on the left.
Thuram receives the ball with his right foot and aims to attack the gap ahead. He’s striving to run along the left half-space and get in between the Nantes right-back and right-sided centre-back.
If we skip forward a few seconds, he has taken the ball into the final third. Nantes’ back four are in good alignment in front of Thuram and they have two retreating midfielders on his back.
But instead of losing the ball, Thuram drives inside the centre-back ahead of him, calculating the defender cannot turn quickly enough to make the tackle. He then releases the ball to his team-mate Amine Gouiri.
And then continues his forward run, creating the possibility for a one-two with Gouiri behind the Nantes defence.
Thuram gets the ball back and his first touch is with the outside of his right boot, teeing up the following situation…
Thuram opts for a left-footed shot in the far corner and scores. Despite Thuram being right-footed, he can pass and shoot off his left to an impressive degree.
It’s a goal that shows Thuram at his attacking best: taking the ball from the middle third before driving into the left half-space and making things happen.
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Standing at 6ft 3in (1.92m), his powerful carries from central midfield have led to comparisons with Paul Pogba and while Thuram’s best position is on the left of a midfield three, he does not yet possess the passing creativity or skill moves when dribbling that a young Pogba had. But Thuram is still a powerful midfielder who serves as a propulsive element to his team.
Four goals and three assists across 41 appearances in 2021-22, followed by two goals and eight assists in 49 appearances in 2022-23, show that Thuram is not the player to supply the finishing touches in the final third for Nice but is instead someone who gets the ball into those areas for others to wreak havoc.
His smarterscout pizza chart can tell us more.
What to note from the above graphic…
- He’s dependable and versatile. Our chart does not compare him to a defensive midfielder or an attacking one, as he has moved through various roles in his team’s engine room. Thuram started his career as a defensive midfielder but has experience playing as a left-sided player in a 4-4-2, along with his most recent role as the most advanced midfielder in a three. In Nice’s better moments under manager Didier Digard, Thuram would shift between a number of roles in a team that would invite the opposition onto them before looking to recover possession and counter-attack quickly.
- His high score for carry and dribble volume (81) and his score for link-up play (72) indicate he is a player who runs with the ball through the middle third before feeding it to attackers. Thuram has 3.25 progressive carries per game in 2022-23, leaving him in the top six per cent of all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues. There are questions as to whether this will translate if he moves to a team that dominates possession, but he’s still a clever shuttling midfielder.
- He is a solid (if not spectacular) creative passer. If you look at Thuram’s scores in the blue section, you get a picture of someone who isn’t attempting risky line-breaking passes once he gets into the final third. And while he is an above-average crosser off either foot, there’s a bit of a gap between his carries into the final third (2.76 per 90) and the penalty area (0.64 per 90).
- He’s not the most active defender. Thuram has mediocre scores in our defensive metrics here — but this needs context. Despite not often tracking back when Nice lose possession, he is one of their best counter-attackers, so is left higher up the field. However, some Ligue 1 viewers believe that Thuram — who has an excellent tackling technique — does not give his all when out of possession. He is at his best when covered by a defensive midfielder behind him or when Nice defend deep — the latter then means he doesn’t have too much space to cover. Given his ambition when carrying the ball — and sometimes unorthodox body orientation when receiving it — Thuram can surrender the ball more often than his manager would probably like.
How does Thuram see himself?
“I defend better and win the ball back more than I did last season and that’s what is required of a midfielder,” he said in late 2022.
The Frenchman is aware that his physical gifts could see him become one of the more formidable ball carriers in Europe — once they are allied with some technical refinement. That may come after moving to a club where more is asked of him as a player.
A number of teams in Europe are interested in signing Thuram and, with his contract expiring in 2025, Nice may look to cash in this summer before losing him for a significantly reduced fee in the future.
This brings us to…
How could he work in Liverpool’s midfield?
Thuram’s skills as a ball carrier and sensible passer have some appeal to Liverpool’s recruitment team. The Frenchman has the potential to be a successor to Gini Wijnaldum (who left Anfield in 2021), acting as a press-resistant shuttler in the midfield three. However, Thuram is most effective as the most advanced midfielder attacking the left half-space, which could cause a slight headache if he were to sign for Liverpool as that role looks likely to be taken up by new signing Alexis Mac Allister.
That Mac Allister himself is not a seamless tactical fit in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield suggests Liverpool will be undergoing further changes in the summer to go along with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s recent evolution as an inverted full-back to create a box midfield.
Liverpool’s links to Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone — another defensively-minded midfielder who likes to carry the ball from deep — could mean Klopp views Thuram as a progressive ball-winner who can operate on the right; a role that was occasionally given to Naby Keita (although he too preferred the left).
There is the possibility Klopp wishes to recast Thuram (and possibly Kone) to create a trio where every member can operate as the deepest midfielder in certain phases and every member can help with ball progression.
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If Liverpool secure all of their preferred targets this summer, then their midfield of 2023-24 would be closer to that of the 2016-17 season; a hard-running, press-resistant trio who would look to chip in and help the front three rather than recycling possession and covering space for the advanced full-backs.
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It will be hard for any front three Liverpool field next season to provide the attacking thrust and defensive security of a peak Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, but players like Thuram make a difference and help with the shared responsibility in a reworked midfield three.
What else do we need to know?
Football journalist Christophe Szabo has described Thuram as “cool, kind of shy, introverted — but with a little smirk”. As the younger son of the World Cup winner Lilian, Thuram’s personality contrasts with his more outspoken older brother Marcus.
“There’s a lot of banter between the two (brothers),” says Szabo. “Once, during an interview, they asked Khephren if he’d join Gladbach and his brother. Khephren waited for a long moment silently before Marcus answered on his behalf.”
At the moment, Thuram is in the shadow of his older brother, but there seems to be a playful personality in him waiting to burst out. It’s a little similar to his playing style: despite having the physical tools necessary to be one of the next great central midfielders, he has the tendency to defer to others.
Like his brother, Thuram looks sure to be on the move this summer. So keep an eye on this footballing prospect in the weeks and months to come.
(Photo: VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images/Design: Sam Richardson)
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