The coach of one reported Liverpool transfer target has urged the player to remain with his current club amid interest from the Reds.
Khephren Thuram has been linked with a move to Anfield in recent days (L’Equipe), with Nice believed to have set an asking price of £52m for the midfielder (Daily Mail).
Didier Digard, caretaker manager at the Ligue 1 club, has been singing the 22-year-old’s praises, although he unsurprisingly feels the youngster’s progress would be best served by staying put in the French Riviera.
The ex-Middlesbrough midfielder told RMC Sport (via Liverpool Echo): “Khephren’s fantastic. He’s very hardworking, very attentive. On rest days he’s at the training centre. He recovers quickly for back-to-back matches and completes high-intensity training.
“He listens and applies himself. He has room for improvement and he’s in demand. He simply eats up video analysis, additional sessions. He also advises others, because he takes on a leadership role. He’s also discovering himself as a person.
“He’s already in the France team, but I’m convinced that he’ll have a very big career. But there must still be a little bit in Nice to go to continue his progress.”
It’s not in the least bit surprising that Digard is advocating for Thuram to remain with Nice, given the obvious vested interest.
It’s common for players in the midst of transfer speculation to be advised that the grass mightn’t necessarily be greener elsewhere, and sometimes players can move on from a club prematurely, although that shouldn’t be a worry with the Frenchman.
He’s already had three seasons of regular Ligue 1 action (amounting to 114 games) under his belt, along with playing 12 times in his team’s run to the Europa Conference League quarter-finals this term (Transfermarkt), so he’s well acclimatised to the big stage.
Digard’s comments about Thuram’s powers of recovery during a hectic fixture period, along with his obsessive application behind the scenes, would appear to bode very well for the player dealing with regular periods of three games in eight days if he were to join Liverpool.
It’ll ultimately come down to the 22-year-old’s decision as to whether he’s happy to continue progressing steadily with Nice or ready to try his luck with a club of the Reds’ stature and expectation levels.