World champion in 2018 with the France team, Marseille striker Florian Thauvin will join the Monterrey Tigers next season, the Mexican club announced on Friday, May 7 on his Twitter account.
“The Tigers style is to always believe that it is possible. Welcome Florian Thauvin », wrote the Monterrey club on its Twitter account, in the caption of a video of successful actions by Thauvin in the Marseille jersey. At the end of the video, Thauvin appears wearing the orange and blue jersey of his new club and wishes, in Spanish, ” good luck for tomorrow “ to his new teammates, who are due to play against the Atlas de Guadalajara on Saturday:
?????? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? … ¡?????????? @FlorianThauvin ? ??????! ? #EstoEsTigres ?… https://t.co/T8Nqyat5rX
End of contract
At 28, the Frenchman came to the end of his contract with OM at the end of the season and could therefore join the club of his choice, without transfer compensation. He joined OM in 2013 and had been playing there since, apart from six months in Newcastle, England, during the 2015-2016 season.
By joining the Tigers for the next five seasons, the forward ends the uncertainty surrounding the rest of his career. Discussions had been opened with OM around a possible contract extension, but they were therefore unsuccessful. Florian Thauvin will meet André-Pierre Gignac, his former OM teammate in Monterrey, who arrived in Mexico in 2015.
The choice of Mexico, however, may surprise for a player who was world champion in 2018 with the Blues and who weighs more than 80 goals and 60 assists in nearly 300 games with OM. Thauvin undoubtedly hoped that an important club of a major championship take advantage of its status of free player to make him a good offer, sporting and financial. This was most likely not the case.