He didn’t show this form at St James’ Park.
Given that Newcastle United have had more French players at their club than even some French teams*, casting your mind back to one specific Gallic import is très difficile.
This being said, Florian Thauvin arrived from Marseille with a big price tag, a reported fee of £15 million, and he hasn’t delivered.
The winger is back on-loan at Marseille and like so many young players that are expected to hit the ground running in the Premier League, his time at Newcastle was brief as he failed to instantly adapt to the demands of English football.
Granted, it didn’t help that Steve McClaren’s tenure saw Newcastle embroiled in a relegation dogfight, but Thauvin was also a disposable player when it came to Rafa Benitez’s immediate plans for the club also.
While we’re not exactly ruling out a return to St James’ Park for Thauvin, the fact that he’s currently enjoying his second loan spell at the Stade Vélodrome is a sign that his future probably lies away from the North East of England.
On a more positive note for the player, this season has seen him recapture some of his best form – he has scored 7 goals and created four more in the league so far.
This upswing in his form is reflected in the latest players ratings that have been released for FIFA ’17.
Just like Mario Balotelli and Radamel Falcao, it appears that the attacker is best suited to life in Ligue 1.
If he can carry on in this vein, it’s possible that Newcastle United and Rafa Benitez won’t be closing the door on him just yet.
*We know that French clubs have more French players in their squad than the Magpies, but Christ, how many times have Newcastle bought a player from France?
