Khephren Thuram is finally ready to become the answer in Liverpool’s porous midfield
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How does Andoni Iraola fit Wirtz and Isak into Liverpool’s starting XI next season? Photo Credit: Getty Images/David Ramos/Joe Prior/Visionhaus Thuram is the kind of midfielder Liverpool needLiverpool ultimately chose to sign Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in 2023, and it feels possible that Gravenberch was the player who made Thuram’s move unlikely.The two are similar in terms of playing style, but having won 1.17 tackles per 90 minutes to Gravenberch’s 1.08 last term, Thuram is a slightly better ball-winner.Liverpool are expected to play on the front-foot under Andoni Iraola, and Thuram is also good at winning the ball back high up the pitch, winning possession 0.48 times per 90 in Serie A last term.
For comparison, Gravenberch was at 0.27, Szoboszlai 0.56 and Mac Allister 0.41Thuram is also a fantastic duel winner, coming out on top in 53.9% of ground duels last season, and using his six foot two inch frame to win 50.7% of aerial duels.Photo by Nderim Kaceli/BSR Agency/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Bradley Barcola’s true thoughts on choosing Arsenal over Liverpool this summer revealedTall, robust, excellent on the ball and hard in the tackle, Thuram could be the ideal midfielder to bolster Iraola’s ranks.Tuttosport claim that Juventus are ‘working hard’ on selling the France international, with Man United and Nottingham Forest joining Liverpool in being interested. For now, the proposed €50m fee is said to be too high, but if that comes down a touch, this is a deal we could see happening.Thuram does not have to be a starter for LiverpoolLooking at the way Iraola set his team up at Bournemouth, it feels likely that he will go with two sitting midfielders with Florian Wirtz in front, rather than a Jurgen Klopp-style No.
Who should Liverpool’s new top target be after being rejected by Yan Diomande? This is a BIG blow to the Reds' summer plans 😓 Photo Credit: Getty Images/Photo Agency Curtis Jones is still likely to be sold, though, meaning there is a lack of a fourth option for Iraola, and Thuram looks an ideal player to bring in to do that job.Capable of starting, but not necessarily needed to, the former Nice man could be an almost like-for-like switch for Gravenberch if the Dutchman is injured or in need of a rest.For less than 50m, Liverpool are not going to find a player who could fit what they need as well as this.Some supporters may prefer to go for an old-school ball-winning type midfielder to stop teams playing through them as easily next season, but with better tactics in place from Iraola, Thuram could eat ground up, win the ball back and drive Liverpool up the pitch.