Khephren Thuram: Why Liverpool fans should be excited

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 21 Apr 2023 15:16 BST
• 3 min read

Kephren Thuram’s bloom started in the second-half of last season with French side Nice.

As FootballTransfers exclusively revealed, Liverpool held talks with the midfielder over a possible move to Anfield, as the club try and salvage their campaign and reach that much-desired Champions League spot.

At 6'3"-tall, the towering Frenchman, who is a product of the Monaco academy, possesses huge physicality and brawn - but there is so much more to his game.

Under Christophe Galtier last season playing the centre of a 4-4-2, the star really stood out with his press resistance when posed deep in midfield, while he excelled in ball recovery and carrying it forward.

Indeed, despite his size, the 21-year-old possesses nifty feet and is able to untangle himself at close quarters with acute dribbling, before using his knack for breaking through and finding space for teammates with good deliveries.

Such a mix of height and mobility speaks of a player who is able to provide defensive cover, force turnovers, and help in transition.

That said, Thuram does falter somewhat when making aerial duals, winning just 0.4 per match - a bit of an anomaly given his stature.

But we are speaking of a raw talent that can be moulded by Jurgen Klopp and made into first-team quality.

Thuram has been playing this season on the left side in the centre midfield of Lucien Favre’s 3-4-2-1 so has not featured heavily as part of a three-in-midfield makeup - and that will pose a slight risk for Liverpool.

Meanwhile, the conservative approaches of his coaches past and present mean that he will have to learn how to press well when needed and offer more fluidity than he does at the moment.

Liverpool’s perfect man?

Liverpool need someone to at least plug in and fill the gaps for Fabinho and even Jordan Henderson in the centre of the midfield as they keep up the pace in the Champions League, Premier League - and to a lesser extent the FA Cup.

We hear some €30m or so could be enough to entice Nice to make the sale.

The side got to the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League but their current ninth-place spot in Ligue 1 means that any ambition of European qualification next season is near enough unachievable, especially as they contend with the bedding in of their new head coach Didier Digard.