Tim Weah USMNT Juventus GFX

Weah, at a crucial point in his career, must carve out a lane for himself at his new club ahead of a huge moment with his country

Tim Weah's move to Marseille is a classic case of a player going back to his roots. It's not just because Weah is back in Ligue 1, either. He's had success in France's top flight, of course, emerging with Paris Saint-Germain before winning a title with Lille, but this even about that. It's something deeper.

Weah's big move is the continuation of a family legacy. His father, the legendary George Weah, wrapped up his European career with Marseille and, for the younger Weah's announcement, Marseille leaned in. They recreated an iconic magazine cover, directly linking father, son and club. From the start, that connection is there, and it means that Weah should receive a warm welcome.

That's just the start, though, and while there's that feel-good element to this, the on-field portion of this move is ultimately what matters. George has nothing to do with what Tim will do for Marseille, just as he had nothing to do with what he accomplished at Juventus or anywhere else he's played.

Now that he's with Marseille, Weah will be tasked with performing. Ultimately, he'll be tasked with making Marseille better.

How will he do that? That's the big question. Since his big move to Juventus in 2023, the 25-year-old U.S. men's national team star has been something of a utility man. At Juve he played all over the field, plugging gaps and filling holes in both the attack and defense. For the USMNT, he's played on either wing, and is most likely to remain in one of those wide attacking spots on the road to next summer's World Cup.

On the way there, though, Weah needs to play meaningful minutes, which is why he left a largely peripheral role at Juventus to head to Marseille in the first place. Weah, at a crucial point in his career, must carve out a lane for himself at his new club ahead of a huge moment with his country.

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Use at Juventus

In the end, unfortunately, Weah's time at Juventus left a bitter taste. This summer was headlined by a war of words between representation and club, as Weah's agent repeatedly took aim at Juve leadership for not letting the player move on. In the end, he got his wish, ending a two-year spell with the Old Lady.

Despite how it ended, that spell, largely, was OK. Weah was never really a go-to player at Juventus, but he was a regular contributor within the team. In his two seasons, he made 78 appearances and scored seven goals, six of which came just last season. During that 2024-25 campaign, Weah finished as the club's fourth-leading scorer in Serie A, where he scored five of those six goals.

Those stats, though, came spread across a variety of positions. Per Transfermarkt, he played 32 games as a right-wingback, 11 as a right-back and 10 as a right winger. He played six as a left-wingback, three as a left winger and one as a straight-up left-back. You can mix in three games as a striker, too, for good measure. 

"For Juve, I play in a deeper position compared to the national team, but I’m adapting well," he said back in 2023. "With the USMNT, I play in an attacking midfield trio behind the lone striker, with quality players like Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna, a position that I really like. If I had the choice, I would prefer to play on the left with the possibility of cutting to the center and going for the goal, but I understand well what the team needs from me.”

You can look at that two ways. The optimist would say that Juventus, under multiple managers, trusted Weah to handle responsibilities all over the field, which is a real compliment to his talent. The pessimist would say that he never seized a consistent spot by force, largely because there were other players in those attacking positions who were trusted more.

With the USMNT, though, the situation is different, even while there are still debates surrounding Weah's specific spot on the field.

Tim Weah USMNT vs Jamaica

Pochettino's eye test

In November, Weah scored a stunner against Jamaica, making quite an impression on recently-hired USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino. That goal wasn't scored from the right-hand side, where Weah played almost exclusively under previous coach Gregg Berhalter. It came from the left, and the switch wasn't made without reason. It was due to Weah's eyes, Pochettino explained.

“It's a dominant eye that brings you in a position to feel comfortable with the ball,” Pochettino said after the match. “If you are an offensive player or a defensive player, depending how you defend, your body shape, always, we try to check, because we need to understand the player, like if we talk with these guys, and also try to understand how they are, what they like.

“We need to understand why, in a natural way, how they move, and try to find the best space and the good position for them to give more, be more fluid in the game, have the continuity on the game, arrive better in the box, or defend better in our box, or in the transition, in the defensive transition, to have more capacity to better angle to receive the ball.”

Regardless of what the eye test shows - literally - it seems likely that the USMNT's starting wingers will be some combination of Weah and Christian Pulisic. Both can play on either side and both offer something unique to the USMNT attack - which can't be replicated by anyone else in the pool. We saw during this summer's Gold Cup that the winger position is both important and very thin, which makes Weah's development and progress with Marseille even more important.

Heading toward the World Cup, the USMNT will need Weah, and they'd love to have him in good form with his new club.

Sunderland v Olympique Marseille - Pre-Season Friendly

A look at Marseille

Over the last few years, Marseille has generally piqued interest for controversial reasons. Mason Greenwood, of course, has drawn headlines. So, too, did manager Roberto De Zerbi after a training-ground clash with Ismael Kone went viral recently. On the field, though, they've taken care of business.

Last season, the club finished second in the league with the second-most goals in Ligue 1. The only club with more, of course, were eventual Champions League winners PSG. All of that is to say that Weah is stepping into a team that can play. That, of course, is a good thing, but it also means competition will be fierce.

Last season, De Zerbi primarily bounced between a 3-4-2-1 and a 4-2-3-1. That means Weah could very easily slot back into a wingback spot, having proven more than capable at Juventus. Michael Amir Murillo, the Panamnian international and former New York Red Bulls player, is among the contenders to start in that right-hand spot, although he can also play centrally.

Throughout preseason, though, De Zerbi has gone with four at the back, which means Weah could, too, be counted among the attackers. The club has plenty of firepower, though, with Greenwood, Amine Gouiri, Igor Paixao, Jonathan Rowe, Amine Harit, Neal Maupay and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang among the attacking options. There is even speculation that Weah could provide depth at striker, where he played plenty early in his career before a few cameo appearances there for Juve.

"I can work on everything," Weah said at his introductory press conference with the club. "I want to improve my game, my passing, in front of goal. Italy did me good, I played with great players in a very tough, very tactical league. I'm happy to have a coach like Roberto De Zerbi, he gives his all, he gives a lot of confidence. I'm happy to be here, to have this level of expectation."

"I don't have a favorite position when I arrive at a new club," Weah added. "The coach sees me as a utility player. All I want is to win."

Seemingly, then, Weah has left one uncertain positional situation for another. Marseille, surely, would have given him some tactical plan and, considering he agreed to the move, some assurances on where he'd fit into it. We'll have to see, then, what that plan is and how De Zerbi can get the best out of his new signing.

Tim Weah USMNT Wales World Cup 2022

Looking ahead

This move, technically, is just a loan. It does, though, come with an obligation to purchase, meaning that this is a long-term partnership. Both player and club are committed to this. Both clearly believe that Weah, just 25, has much to offer.  That could begin as soon as this Friday, when Marseille open the Ligue 1 season with a visit to Rennes.

There's a Champions League campaign coming, too, and, on the national team front, there are important friendlies in the fall, all leading up to the big tournament next summer.

“My goals are high. I'm only 25 years old and I have years left to win titles,” Weah said. “Everyone's goal is to win something, so I want to score and provide assists. The World Cup is coming and it's on my home turf. We have to work hard to be in shape for the World Cup, and I hope to play in my second World Cup."

Weah scored the USMNT's first goal at the last World Cuup, dazzling in that opening match against Wales. Now, he'll look to arrive at that second tournament in good form and, by making this move, Weah is betting on Marseille to be the club to help him get there.