Liverpool FC Forum

[red till i die!!]

Looks like it's a done deal. Confirmed by Pearce, BBC etc.

Can't wait to see what he brings to the team

[kazza]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/12049066/thiago-alcantara-liverpool-agree-deal-with-bayern-munich-for-spain-midfielder

We have ourselves a real player. I think he gives us a great chance of repeating as champions. Thiago is the world class player we are missing in midfield.

In terms of winning possession in midfield he was 2nd in the Bundesliga so he knows how to press, passing percentage is over 90% so he knows how to pass and he dribbled 71 times (5th in Bundesliga) so he know how to dribble. He has only not won the domestic championships once so he is a serial winner. We have got ourselves a fantastic player.

[woof woof !]

Don't want to get too carried away too soon , the premiership will be a whole new ball game for this fella BUT ! I'm happy with the signing, can't wait to see him performing something special in our midfield.   

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

Im not a huge fan of signing older players but Im not quite sure why, the likes of Gary Mac, Milner and even Big Soto all came in and did a terrific job for us.
Welcome to the club lad.

[devaney]

It’s just his age that I don’t like. Fantastic player and if he does for us what Van Persie did for United then I will be very happy !! Steve Gerrard kept going until he was 35 but it’s probably reasonable to say that he wasn’t quite the same amazing player in his last 2 seasons. Having said that we very nearly won the league in his penultimate season (2013/14) and he was also a PFA Player of the Year nominee in that same year.

[kazza]

Players peak 28-32, at 29 he is at his peak. He is the finished article rather than a prospect. He is a world class midfielder.

[damjan193]

Not bad piece of business. Not his biggest fan to be honest (mainly because of his injury record), but he's undoubtedly a top player and if Klopp thinks he'll be good for us then I trust him. Although it looks like done deal, I won't say welcome until he passes his medical .

Anyway, I wonder what happens now to some of our midfielders because we kinda have too many now, plus we probably need to sell one or two to get our money back for signing Alcantara. Is Gini leaving after all or are the likes or Grujic and Wilson more likely to be sold?

[UvS xR4GEx]

I honestly think he's our KDB.. I think once you'll see Thiago against KDB you'll know Thiago is the better player.

I think KDB is awesome against the lower league teams.. And he'll boost up his stats for goals and assists but Thiago controls every game from midfield.

[redshade]

Great addition, welcome Thiago hope you help us land no.20.

[kazza]

Liverpool have agreed a £25m fee with Bayern Munich for Thiago Alcantara
The Spaniard has long wanted to try out his talents in the Premier League
His winning mentality will see him seamlessly fit in the Liverpool dressing room
Liverpool need to keep building and attackers will benefit from his passing range

By DOMINIC KING FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 14:51 BST, 17 September 2020 | UPDATED: 15:38 BST, 17 September 2020
Let's start with the player. Thiago Alcantara to Anfield has been the transfer about which Liverpool supporters have spent all summer dreaming.

The reason is clear. Thiago is one of those rare midfielders who makes the kind of passes that others do not see; they roll inch-perfectly, like a crown green bowl trundling towards a jack, always on target and always with just the right amount of weight.

He plays football with style and grace and it is no wonder he reached the top. His father, Mazinho, played for Brazil at the 1994 World Cup; his brother, Rafinha, plays for Barcelona, the club who launched his career. Football isn't just a profession for this family, it is a way of life.


Thiago studies it relentlessly. Mazinho was his idol, his 'everything'. His favourite player growing up was Ronaldinho. When he was at La Masia, Barcelona's Academy, Thiago would watch Xavi and Andres Iniesta over and over and see how they mastered the ball.

'I absolutely love football,' he told Sportsmail in December 2015. 'I can get as much enjoyment watching a game between two third division teams as I do watching a Champions League final. You watch Xavi and the things that he does. The passes that Xabi Alonso makes.

'Iniesta? Look at how he gets the ball and how it never leaves his foot when he is running with it. This is what they do. I have tried to take something from everyone. You want to be better at the things you cannot do so well. You eat, you sleep, you think about football.

'From my own character, I want the responsibility everyone gives me. I was created in Barcelona and every midfielder has to touch the ball. You develop your own skills but the one thing you have to do is move the ball. You get on the ball as much as possible and you make the team play.'

With his mentality and his talent, Thiago will fit seamlessly into Liverpool's dressing room. Good players want to play with other good players and when it emerged on Thursday that a £25million deal had been agreed with Bayern Munich, there was a crackle of excitement amongst the group.

It's important for clubs to keep refreshing and there is no question Thiago will be a welcome addition to a team that wants to retain its Premier League title. Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah will all benefit from his presence.

But now let's look at the conundrum: who misses out? Liverpool have not spent this kind of money for Thiago to play every now and again; a man with seven Bundesliga titles and a Champions League in his locker, in his peak years, is not coming to make up the numbers.

So how is Jurgen Klopp going to make it work? Thiago has been given the No 6 shirt, so will that be his position? If so, that means Fabinho – such a powerhouse in the last two years – finds himself in the spotlight.


If a position as the team's anchor is not on the cards, does he play to the side of Fabinho? If so, that means Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum are under scrutiny. But does Thiago offer the physicality and drive of those mainstays? The answer would be no.

Go a little deeper again, beyond Klopp's first-choice triumvirate. How do Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Curtis Jones feel? Another body means less game time and it would be wrong to assume that Wijnaldum, with nine months remaining on his deal, will make way.

There should be excitement amongst supporters, who have craved a big-name addition. This is a transfer that also offers outstanding value as you would be talking about a price closer to £50m had Thiago's contract had two years or more to run.

He has always wanted to play in England; he ignored repeated attempts from David de Gea, his compatriot, to move to Old Trafford in 2013 but Thiago always felt there would be a point in the future when the moment was right.

This is the moment. For it to truly succeed, Klopp must devise a plan to maintain the equilibrium without damaging the potency of his team. How he achieves that will make for fascinating viewing.

[Cool Hand Luke]

In the PL era I can’t ever recall us signing an established world class player in his prime from a European giant. Bayern were basically begging him to stay. Really shows our standing in football right now.

People on this board have made comparisons to Coutinho and De Bruyne but he is far closer to Xabi Alonso. He sits deeper and sprays the ball around so our fullbacks will benefit. There is no doubt about his quality and his fit to Klopp's style it's just a question of whether he can adapt to a faster and more physcial league at the age of 29.

[crazyhorse]

It's official. Welcome Thiago!

Number 6.

[Penguins]

Well, he is creative and has a great pass in him. He is at his peak right now.
I hope he stays healthy going into his 30s....

[7_Kewell]

Sign of how far we've come under Klopp. He could walk into any top side in Europe.

Doesn't seem that long ago we were shopping in the bargain basement aisle for the likes Balotelli 

[kazza]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/thiago-alcantara-position-liverpool-transfer-22698501