Newcastle United’s latest signing Florian Thauvin has revealed that Arsenal were the only side to ever express an interest in his services, aside from the Magpies, after enquiring about the Frenchman “two or three years ago”, as per the Daily Mail.
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The 22-year-old French Under-21 worldwide passed a medical on Wednesday and committed to the club until 2020 on a deal that French media reported to be worth €17 million ($18.9 million).
“The Premier League is well known for being a very physical league”.
McClaren says he wants a team of “characters”, with Thauvin already stating he hopes to become one of the best players in the world one day.
“They’ve absolutely delivered 100 per cent with the quality that we’ve got”. Instead of catapulting him to the next level, Thauvin’s time at Marseille saw him stagnate.
With Newcastle having just acquired one triumph at Old Trafford within the Premierleague period, and also the German forward, that has transferred from Marseille, could not have wished-for a harder introduction. “It is another home game and we have to assert ourselves early on”.
All of which takes us to yesterday, and the left winger’s arrival in the North-East. For every David Ginola or Laurent Robert strutting their stuff there’s been a Stephane Guivarc’h, a Jean-Alain Boumsong or a Ben Arfa. The window is nearly closed, and Newcastle I don’t think have come away with as a big of a victory as the management may think.
“I’m still a very young player with lots of years ahead of me”.
McClaren said: “Absolutely, without a shadow of doubt”.
“With young players, sometimes you make the right moves and sometimes the wrong moves”.
Simpson is right to plead to Newcastle United fans to give Thauvin time to settle in. Where he plays eventually for Newcastle we will see.
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Yesterday, Thauvin was accompanied by his family and girlfriend, Charlotte Pirroni, the reigning Miss Cote d’Azur, as he settled in to his new surrounds.
