Florian Thauvin has been playing at a high level for Marseille for some time now.
It was no surprise when he was taken to Russia by Didier Deschamps, and the now World Cup winner has cemented his place in the national squad.
The 25 year old is fulfilling the promise he undoubtedly showed when coming through and is a completely different level of player to the one who failed to shine after moving to Newcastle United.
But, he’s not the subject of serious transfer attempts. Bayern Munich claims come and go, largely based on the idea he could be part of a replacement for the Ribery and Robben act, yet there’s not clubs throwing big amounts at Marseille to try and get a transfer done.
L’Equipe have been wondering why, and asked some club officials, named and unnamed, to share their opinion. One of those who agreed to be named is Michel Rablat, who the French newspaper describe as an ‘Everton recruiter’.
Rablat explained that Thauvin’s reputation in England isn’t great, given his time at Newcastle: “He doesn’t have a good press. I can confirm that he had no offers this summer in the Premier League. It doesn’t surprise me. English recruiters find that he’s not decisive in big matches.”
That would suggest that Everton aren’t considering making a move for the player themselves.