Florian Thauvin joins Lens!
2018 World Cup winner Florian Thauvin has returned to Ligue 1 McDonald's, joining Pierre Sage's Lens side.
A fourth French side for Thauvin
Lens have secured the signing of France international Thauvin on a permanent deal from Serie A side Udinese. After the arrivals of Paul Pogba at Monaco and Olivier Giroud at Lille, Thauvin is the third 2018 World Cup winner to join Ligue 1 McDonald's this summer.
The forward returns to France after a four-year absence. Having come through the ranks at Grenoble, he made his professional debut at Bastia before making the move to Lille back in 2013. He then moved to Marseille, enjoying two separate spells with Les PhocΓ©ens, making nearly 300 appearances in that time, scoring 86 goals and registering 61 assists for OM in that time.
His departure from the VΓ©lodrome was followed by a stint in Mexico, before he returned to Europe, signing for Serie A side Udinese back in January 2023.
Thauvin enjoys revival in Italy
In Udine, Thauvin returned to his best, scoring 15 goals and registering 10 assists in all competitions for the Italian side. Speaking in January 2024, the former Lille, Marseille, and Bastia forward said that a return to France would be his "priority" when he leaves Udinese. "At some point, if I get the chance, and that a good project is presented to me, of course, I would like to come back to Ligue 1 McDonald's," he told L'Γquipe.
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That dream is now a reality for Thauvin. He joins Pierre Sage's Lens side and will now get the chance to add to the 259 appearances (86 goals, 51 assists) that he has already made in France's top-flight.
The 32-year-old Frenchman is the eleventh arrival at Lens this summer. The likes of Samson Baidoo, Matthieu Udol, Robin Risser, and Saud Abulhamid have already joined Les Sang et Or ahead of the coming Ligue 1 McDonald's campaign.
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Photo: RC Lens
