Thiago to Liverpool: Assessing how the Bayern Munich star could fit in Jurgen Klopp’s system

The Bayern Munich hierarchy has always been known to be extremely blunt and to-the-point when talking about transfer rumours surrounding the club. The fact that they have been publicly courting Manchester City’s high-flying winger Leroy Sane since the past 18 months and announced his transfer mid-season is a representation of just that.

CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has now come out and revealed that star midfielder Thiago Alcantara could be on his way out of Bayern in the upcoming transfer window. The 29-year-old Spaniard, who has served the club for seven years since joining from Barcelona in 2013, is reportedly looking for a new challenge at this stage in his career.

“Thiago is a great guy, on and off the pitch. We were negotiating seriously with him and we complied with everything he asked, but it seems that he is looking to do something new in the final part of his career,” Rummenigge claimed.

Thiago’s contract with Bayern expires next summer and he reportedly does not want to extend his stay with the Bundesliga giants. With the Bavarian bosses determined to not let one of their most talented players leave the club on a free transfer, they could might as well cash-in on him this summer.

Given the midfielder’s immense talents and world-class ability, some of Europe’s elite clubs will undoubtedly line up for his signature. A possible destination for Thiago, however, is said to be recently-crowned Premier League champions, Liverpool. When Rummenigge was questioned about this developing story, he said:

“We haven't had any contact at all with Liverpool; whatever decision the player takes, we'll have to deal with it when the moment comes,” he said.

Thiago is a completely different proposition compared to Klopp's current midfield options

At first glance, it looks as if Thiago is not of the Jurgen Klopp mould. Liverpool play an extremely energetic brand of football, pressing tirelessly, overloading the opponents, winning the ball back and pinging balls across the channels for Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to run and wreak havoc. Bayern’s deep-lying midfielder, therefore, does not complement that style of play.

Thiago is a calm-headed player who thrives in a possession-based set-up. Having played under Pep Guardiola for a majority of his career, the Spaniard has become an immaculate passer of the ball, possesses unparalleled vision and can also dribble across the opponent’s midfield before playing that inch-perfect through ball.

He acts as a deep-lying playmaker for his team, somebody like Ilkay Gundogan at City, Marco Verratti at Paris Saint-Germain, or Miralem Pjanic at Juventus who is now due to join his former employers Barcelona.

Bringing in a player who is turning 30 next year also goes against the FSG’s transfer policy which has garnered a lot of appreciation in recent years. Liverpool target very specific players, usually in their mid-20s, for them to undertake particular roles in Klopp’s system.

Apart from spending heavily on Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, and Naby Keita, the Merseysiders have managed to transform lesser-known players into world-class superstars.

Thiago, meanwhile, only has a few more years left at the highest level and prioritising him over, say a left-back, a centre-half, or a back-up to the front-three would not be ideal for the Liverpool hierarchy.

Another crucial hindrance in the deal could be Thiago’s recurring injury troubles. Liverpool boast some of the fittest and most athletic individuals who epitomise Klopp’s heavy-metal style of play.

Bayern’s number eight, however, has suffered from almost 30 separate injuries throughout his career. There are serious doubts about his durability and if he will be able to adapt to the Premier League’s physical nature.

On his day, however, Thiago Alcantara is one of the best midfielders in the world. And spending a mere £35m in the current market for a player of his calibre and quality could prove to be a steal for Liverpool.

From a statistical point of view, the Italy-born midfielder is way superior to his Liverpool counterparts. Jurgen Klopp has been heavily reliant on his lethal front-three with regards to goals and assists.

And although his midfield play a crucial role in providing them opportunities to score, their own attacking output is not the most exemplary.

Thiago has a significantly better attacking output than Gini Wijnaldum this season

If we are comparing Thiago to Liverpool's crop of midfielders, the Spain international comes out on top in most departments. This season, he has created more chances and provided more key passes than Klopp's regular starters Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson. His pass completion rates are also superior to that of the Liverpool duo.

Klopp's midfield could undergo a transitional phase in the next few years. Wijnaldum will turn 30 later this year and is yet to sign a contract extension at Anfield. If the Reds fail to keep one of their most vital players, they will definitely need an instant like-for-like replacement. And there is no doubt that Thiago could prove to be an attacking upgrade to the industrious Dutchman.

Club captain Henderson is already 30 whilst the ever-reliable James Milner will turn 35 in January and both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita have spent the majority of their Liverpool careers on the sidelines. This calls out for Jurgen Klopp to bolster his midfield options and someone like Thiago could finally bring with him the creative spark Coutinho was so often associated with.

Klopp definitely knows how difficult it will be to retain the title. Manchester City have been the only team to achieve that feat in the past 12 seasons. We have also witnessed how defending champions usually tend to dip in form the following season due to a significant lack of motivation, concentration, and will to succeed.

The recent hammering at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday also indicated that Liverpool might need to bring in a couple of players to boost squad morale, increase competition, and inject some much-needed depth.

A new-look midfield consisting of Fabinho, Thiago and Naby Keita could be a mouth-watering proposition for Liverpool fans and could unlock a new level of this already-unassailable side.

How can Thiago fit in at Liverpool?

In a 4-3-3 set-up, Fabinho will assume the holding role in front of the defence and Keita could be deployed in an attacking position. Thiago, therefore, will act as a buffer in-between the two, who could almost play a box-to-box role by both helping the Brazilian defensively and complementing the Guinean further up the pitch.

From this perspective, it looks like Thiago is a no-brainer for Jurgen Klopp who could have, in his ranks, an extremely influential and impactful player in the middle of the park.

His passing range, spatial awareness and inventiveness could also further augment Mane, Salah, and Firmino’s attacking output.

🤙🏽😜 pic.twitter.com/rNk1c1EsaY

— Thiago Alcantara (@Thiago6) July 4, 2020

Klopp revealed his admiration for Thiago back in 2017 when he signed Keita from RB Leipzig.

“Last year together with Thiago Alcantara, who played outstanding for Bayern, [Keita] was the flier."

That same year, he also said:

“In my time in Germany, I admired Thiago Alcantara.”

And after Liverpool’s stalemate against Bayern at Anfield in last year’s Champions League, the German said:

“Thiago is a world-class footballer. He played that deep-lying playmaker role very well.”

Even the Spaniard was impressed by Klopp’s midfield and praised them in an interview two years ago. He said:

“Look at Liverpool’s midfield: Henderson, Milner, Chamberlain, they pressed like animals in the Champions League. They ate up the midfield. They were fantastic.”

The noise around Anfield suggests that Liverpool will not be the most active club in the upcoming transfer window. However, who would not want to see a Klopp-Thiago love affair for a little over £30 million.