Striker Marcus Thuram has made more of an instant attacking impact than any new Inter Milan signing in the last two decades.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, note that the 26-year-old has been more decisive in the final third immediately than any new Inter signing since Hernan Crespo.
When Thuram arrived at Inter during the summer, there was a sense that he was a long-term signing.
Aged 26 at the start of this season, Thuram could have taken a few months to find his feet. There would be plenty of time for him to justify the hype and wages.
But that is not how it has gone. Far from it.
Thuram has well and truly hit the ground running.
The Frenchman has managed four goals and five assists so far between Serie A and the Champions League.
Marcus Thuram Hits The Ground Running At Inter
In terms of goal contributions, that start puts Thuram behind every new Inter signing since former Parma, Lazio, and Chelsea striker Crespo.
And there is something of a difference in terms of expectations.
When Crespo signed for Inter in the summer of 2002, the Argentine was already considered to be a goal machine in Serie A.
That is why Inter brought him in from Lazio.
Crespo did deliver, in terms of goals. But he had been doing so for the Bianconeri and for Parma for years up to that point.
On the other hand, when Thuram came in, he was more of a “project player.” Or at least that was the thinking.
Certainly the Frenchman’s talent was undeniable.
But it had only really been a season in which Thuram was playing as an out-and-out centre-forward.
There were doubts about how the 26-year-old would adapt in Simone Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 system. At the very least, it might take time.
But Thuram has dispelled all the doubts.
The Frenchman has enjoyed a blazing start to the campaign.
And the Gazzetta note that in terms of his start to the season, Thuram is ahead of even former strikers like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mauro Icardi, and Romelu Lukaku.
