TOP-CLASS THIAGO
JAMES SMITH SAYS LIVERPOOL MANAGER JURGEN KLOPP HAS DONE SOME SHREWD BUSINESS BY SNAP PING! UP THE SPANISH SERIAL WINNER...
Liverpool’s new midfield man
THE 2020 summer transfer window has perhaps been the least conventional for some time. Delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, a transfer request by Lionel Messi, Manchester United seemingly sidelined by most of their big targets, and passive aggressive exchanges between Jurgen Klopp and Frank Lampard.
The Liverpool and Chelsea managers are being painted by the media as the new rivals in English football. Harkening back to the days of Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez, the two clashed in June when Liverpool hosted Chelsea on the day the Merseyside team lifted the Premier League title for
Since then, Klopp has made comments about the spending capacity of his club compared to others, which has been seen by some as an indirect comment on Chelsea’s transfer business this summer.
However, Liverpool have made from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich.
The latter was perhaps the exact player Klopp needed, but the least likely signing he could have made.
The phrase least likely is perhaps misleading.
It was football’s worst kept secret this summer that the Spaniard would be making the switch from Munich to the north west of England.
However, signing a player of Thiago’s calibre is not something that we associate with Klopp’s transfer business.
This is even more evident when we consider the signing of Jota in the same 24 hours, who, without a doubt, is a Klopp signing. pool, but the 23-year-old is yet to prove himself as a complete player. Glimpses have, of course, been shown, but few would have realistically thought that Liverpool would be going in for the Portuguese international to bolster their forward line.
That assessment of his career to date could easily have described most of the Liverpool signings since Klopp took over.
Thiago, though, sits at the complete other end of the spectrum. For one, he is 29 years old, so already in his peak years.
He has amassed nine league titles, two Champions Leagues, two Club World Cups and seven domestic cups.
Before signing for Liverpool, he had made 395 career appearances for club and 39 for country.
He is a player Pep Guardiola brought across from Barcelona to Bayern reportedly saying “him or nobody”. Thiago is, unequivocally, a worldthe current Liverpool system. A hard worker, quick on the ball, combative and skilful – he is one of only a handful of players in world football that could improve the spine of this Liverpool team.
Thiago’s stats in the Bundesliga last season tell you all that you need to know.
With a 90 per cent pass completion rate for the season, averaging 92.5 passes per game and ten long balls per game, he has the perfect skill set to help dominate the middle of the park in the style Liverpool are becoming accustomed to. required to retrieve the ball in that pressing system as well as winning the ball in transition to break down counter-attacks.
Again, last season in the Bundesliga Thiago made 195 possession gains, and averaged 2.3 interceptions per 90 minutes.
He won 59 per cent of his duels, and gave away just 1.2 fouls per game, and made just one error leading to a chance all season.
Creativity has also been a problem Champions League appearances other big chances. season. appearance for Liverpool, a
75 passes in that half, both the fourth highest of any player on the pitch. half than any player ever in the Premier League (since the statistics began to be yet. take this Liverpool team to another level. The strangest thing about the Thiago signing, though, is that he is realisticalKlopp is famous as a stars.
Mats Hummels, Robfor less than £5m vital players in Klopp’s value. Klopp has spent the unit.
The only real ego that you can really number of occasions that Klopp has see a move having to be far closer to the £100m for them to leave.
Whilst Liverpool have spent big on nearly £500m since the big German Becker. has gone to even greater levels since multiple payments, this clearly is the signing of the summer. tion.
Yet more importantly he has spoken about the family atmosphere at the club:
With Liverpool looking to reclaim their title, the signing of Thiago is that they are here to stay.