He has had a good career away from St James’ Park.
Newcastle United have made tremendous progress under current manager Eddie Howe in the last 18 months, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
After the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) purchased the Magpies in 2021, the team was able to advance from relegation contenders to a regular contender in Europe thanks to their significant investment.
However, business has not always been plain sailing, as despite great arrivals such as Kieran Trippier, there have been some questionable purchases, such as the £25 million spent on Chris Wood, who left just a year later after scoring five goals.
The club also made multiple mistakes under the previous management of the much-maligned Mike Ashley, including letting one player to leave St James’ too soon, despite the former Magpie going on to have a great career throughout Europe.
Florian Thauvin’s stats for Newcastle
After joining the Magpies for over £13 million from Marseille in the summer of 2015, French forward Florian Thauvin arrived on Tyneside with a lot of potential.
The attacker did not have a great influence for the Magpies, appearing in only 16 games across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing three assists.
Thauvin did not score or assist in the Premier League. His solitary goal for the club came in the League Cup against Northampton Town, and the winger proved to be a disappointment despite his relatively high fee.
Thauvin returned to Marseille on loan in January, barely six months after permanently joining Newcastle. He eventually returned to France, securing a permanent contract with his former club only two years after leaving.
The £9.8 million transfer that saw the attacker return to Ligue 1 cost Newcastle little over £3 million in just two years, making the transaction a total disaster for all parties.
Florian Thauvin’s stats in 2023/24
After leaving the Magpies permanently in 2017, the winger went on to have a very successful career in France, netting 46 goals in three seasons for the former European Cup winners, securing his place in Marseille’s history at 31.
Thauvin is back and what a finish 👌pic.twitter.com/cnxd89ib6T
— GOAL (@goal) August 31, 2020
However, he left the French side in 2021 to join Mexican club Tigres on a free transfer, but after only eight goals in two seasons, he left for a return to European football.
He joined Italian club Udinese in 2022, and while Thauvin had an unremarkable first season, he shined once more in Serie A in 2023/24.
The “unbelievable” talent, as described by former colleague Moussa Sissoko, has scored five league goals this season, two more than current Magpies winger Miguel Almiron.
Given his excellent goal-scoring record away from St James’ Park, Newcastle may have acted too quickly in moving Thauvin, who, like Almiron, is a left-footed right-winger, with his impressive statistics potentially enhancing the club’s already formidable assault.
He may have had a tumultuous first six months at the club, but it was insufficient time for a player to relocate and settle in a foreign nation, with Marseille and Udinese ultimately benefiting.
