Newcastle United's new signing Florian Thauvin says that football fans in his homeland of France compare him to Magpies and England legend Chris Waddle. The 22-year-old completed his move to Tyneside on Wednesday evening, signing a five-year contract for a reported fee of £12 million. And speaking to NUFCTV, the former Marseille man told of how delighted he was to be likened to a player of Waddle's standing in the game, he said:
"I know him very well, often in France people draw comparisons between myself and Chris Waddle. "I was really delighted to be compared to a legend like Chris Waddle back in France. As far as I'm concerned, I'm a player that likes to run, a lot and attack especially, and I like to dribble."
And with that, it's obvious why those parallels have been made... As well as being heralded as one of United's greatest ever attackers, Waddle is also a bit of a legend on the other side of the English Channel as he represented Marseille between 1989-1992. After scoring 33 times in 138 league appearances for Tottenham Hotspur, the wide man moved to Marseille for a fee of £4.5 million; the third highest sum ever paid for a footballer at the time. Waddle's Marseille won three Ligue 1 titles back-to-back, while the former Magpie was christened 'Magic Chris' by OM's fans due to his obsession with magician Paul Daniels, as well as his displays on the pitch. Most impressively however, Waddle was voted as the second best Marseille player of the 20th century behind Jean Pierre Papin during the club's century anniversary in 1998. No pressure, Florian... CLICK HERE to read 10 Things Newcastle Fans Need To Know About Florian Thauvin.For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCulture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.
