Tikus is back! Marcus Thuram is finally showing the performances again this season for which he was celebrated in his early days in Gladbach. On the one hand, this is due to a greatly improved fitness and clear tasks on the pitch. On the other hand, the relationship with the coach. Now the Frenchman could follow the example of Hofmann and Plea.
The smile is back! After a season to forget, Marcus Thuram’s world at Borussia Mönchengladbach is a completely different one. Since trainer Daniel Farke took over the foals in the summer, Tikus has finally been able to build on the strong performances of his early days.
For comparison: the 25-year-old Frenchman scored three goals in the entire pre-season. In addition, only a meager assist. After seven Bundesliga matchdays 22/23, Tikus has already reached this mark. There are also two assists in the Bundesliga and three goals and an assist in the DFB Cup.
A clear change of position was also decisive for the return to the old form. Under Adi Hütter, Thuram mostly played on the left wing. Under Farke he was set as a center forward from the start. The new foal coach is said to have made it clear to Tikus from the start that he needed to get fitter. “From then on he worked very, very hard, took every extra shift in the weight room with him. He brought himself to a different fitness level,” Farke enthused about Sportbild.
The new fitness level can be read off first and foremost from Thuram’s deployment time. He has not missed a minute of the game this season. And his top speed is back where it used to be. While it was “only” 34.6 km/h on the previous lap, its top value is already 35.7 km/h. That means fifth place in the league-wide ranking.
Farke Thuram paved the way back to his old strength not only with clear announcements and demands. Above all, the sensitive Frenchman had missed the pats. Farke recognized that right from the start. “Marcus has his heart in the right place. He’s an emotional player who needs to feel comfortable and secure. In an atmosphere in which players feel valued and accepted, their performance is always better,” said Farke.
Exactly that was not the case under Hütter last year. The French players in particular were treated extremely coldly by Hütter after 90 minutes of information.
The foals are definitely back on the right track under Farke. This not only applies to Thuram, but to the entire team. The topic of expiring contracts is still a hot one on the Lower Rhine.
Most recently, Jonas Hofmann and Alassane Plea extended their contracts beyond 2023. According to Sportbild, the two should have an exit clause of just over ten million euros.
Thuram’s contract ends – as of now – after the season. While he was previously a candidate for sale in order to get a decent fee, the new head of sport, Roland Virkus, made it clear from the start that the striker would be kept. Virkus could proceed in a similar way to Hofmann and Plea.
Means: Thuram extends the contract and gets an exit clause. In the best-case scenario, he stays with Borussia for more years. Otherwise, the foals would at least collect a fee. There have been a few arguments for Thuram to stay since this season!
This article was originally posted on 90min.com/de as Why Thuram exploded again in Gladbach – New contract with an exit clause? released.
