The explosion in form of Marcus Thuram at Inter Milan has benefited from the summer departure of Romelu Lukaku.
This is the view in today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, via FCInterNews.
26-year-old French international Thuram signed for Inter on July 1st of last summer.
The striker signed for the Nerazzurri on a free transfer as soon as he was able to – when his contract with Borussia Monchengladbach officially expired.
The timing of Thuram’s move to the Nerazzurri was significant in a number of senses.
By the time the Frenchman arrived, it was already clear that Edin Dzeko would be out the door.
Therefore, in a certain sense, Thuram was replacing the Bosnian in the squad.
But at that point, it had looked for all the world as though Lukaku would be staying. Inter were still active in the process of trying to sign the Belgian on a permanent basis from Chelsea.
So the plan seemed to be that Thuram would be competing for playing time with Lukaku.
Of course, Lukaku had other ideas. The 30-year-old’s relationship with Inter collapsed over his negotiations with Juventus during the summer window.
Marcus Thuram Helped By Inter Departure Of Romelu Lukaku
Having a player like Lukaku as a teammate wouldn’t necessarily have been a bad thing for Thuram.
It would mean that there would not have been as much pressure to make an impact in the starting eleven right away for the Frenchman.
That would have been welcome from the perspective of allowing Thuram to adjust and settle in.
With Lukaku out of the picture, however, the 26-year-old became a fixture in the starting eleven right out of the gate.
Thuram thrived under this pressure, however. The Frenchman immediately cemented himself as a key player for the Nerazzurri.
The expected time needed to settle in was far, far shorter than almost anyone thought.
Therefore, it has been a perfect introduction into the team for Thuram. And if Lukaku had still been in the picture, that may have been a much different story.
