A few years ago, when we talked about the best midfielders in the world, Thiago Alcantara was automatically in the debates. The player trained at La Masia notably delivered great performances during Bayern’s Champions League coronation in 2020, displaying all his class and all his quality under the Bavarian tunic. Behind, he made the choice to join Liverpool, while all of football Europe opened the doors of his home wide to him. If his adventure on the banks of the Mersey had started rather well despite these physical problems which did not let him go – a constant since the start of his career – it has been much more complicated for him in recent months.
At 32 years old, he simply hasn’t played all season. As reported by the Spanish daily A.S., his last match dates back to April 26, and the light at the end of the tunnel still seems quite far away, since no one is currently able to say when we will see him again on the field. Klopp mentioned, some time ago, a possible return for the start of 2024, but since then, no more news. Will he be able to find a place for himself upon his return? It is complicated…
What future for him?
The Liverpool midfield is working well. Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endō are quite efficient, not to mention Alexis MacAllister who is not there because he is injured, but who will undoubtedly find a major role on his return. Places are going to be expensive, and above all, will Klopp want to count on a player whose contract expires in June? Suffice to say that if he manages to return to an acceptable physical level, the Spaniard should not necessarily expect to find the starting role that he had during his first two seasons at Anfield. In an article published at the end of November, the serious media The Athletic also explained that his repeated injuries had conditioned his team’s last transfer windows, like this summer of 2023 where 4 midfielders arrived.
The media indicated that a transfer in January was not a priori on the cards for the one who had already said no to the Saudi sirens during the last summer transfer window. In recent days, there has been further talk of a departure for the Arab country at the end of his contract with the Reds. Some Catalan media have also put a piece back in the machine concerning a possible return to Barcelona, his training club which he left in 2013 which has tried several times to repatriate him since. One thing seems certain, Thiago Alcantara will have to give up on this Euro 2024, since La Roja’s plans now involve other players, and have been doing so for several competitions already. Try one last experience at the highest level in order to get back on track and finish on a good note, or head to an exotic destination that is a priori much more profitable? Thiago will have to choose…
