Every time Florian Thauvin gets interviewed in the French media, there’s always a question about his time at Newcastle, and Onze Mondial’s approach was no different.
Sitting down with the Marseille star, the magazine discussed the entirety of the forward’s career, starting at the beginning, with Grenoble, and then discussing each club along the way, including Lille, where he never played a single minute.
Then came the first spell at Marseille, which was followed by a reluctant transfer to St James’ Park, as the Ligue 1 side, then under different ownership, needed to sell their best players to avoid going in the red.
Unable to establish himself in the north of England under Steve McClaren, the 25-year-old played just 16 times for the club before being sent back to the south of France on loan, which was then followed by a permanent transfer.
“I arrived, I played two or three games as a starter, and then, in the fourth, our striker gets sent off and I end up up front against Arsenal. I don’t play there and there’s no miracle. Then, I never played again”.
One of the main criticisms the player faced when he was at Newcastle was that he just didn’t seem ready for the Premier League, and that might have been the case back then.
Now? He thinks differently.
He continued: “That’s completely false. I’ve changed, I’ve grown, I’ve matured. I know myself more and I’ve progressed. Today, I know that I’m capable of imposing myself in England”.
While he isn’t interested in a transfer at the moment, that could easily change next summer if Marseille don’t qualify for the Champions League, a competition he wants to play in to take his game to the next level.
Until then, however, he’s solely focused on the Ligue 1 side, and will do everything to get the club to where he feels they belong: Europe’s elite competition.
