Thiago Alcantara privately came to speak with Jurgen Klopp to discuss his role at Liverpool this season.
The Reds midfielder has been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield this summer. With sides from Saudi Arabia reportedly keen on him, there’s been severe doubt over whether Thiago would stay at Liverpool.
But having seemingly rejected the advances of any interested parties, the 32-year-old looks set to continue. According to a tweet from journalist Paul Joyce yesterday, Jurgen Klopp has now confirmed this, while also speaking highly of his No.6.
“He’s now training,” the manager is reported as saying. “He came in and asked about his role and we spoke.
“Super experienced player, he stepped up in that department. He has only been in team training for a week but very vocal, he is going to be very helpful for us.”
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Thiago seeks out Klopp clarity
With all the uncertainty currently around who will make up Liverpool’s midfield this season, this is truly brilliant to hear.
Given that he’s been injured since February, some may have forgotten, but Thiago is still pure quality. Even after the arrivals of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, there’s a strong argument that he’s the Reds best midfielder.
At the very least, his presence is going to help both of those players so much. Mac Allister in particular, being a native Spanish speaker, should be able to feel the full benefit of his presence in the squad.
Thiago will also no doubt continue to be a perfect influence for Stefan Bajcetic. The two developed a real understanding as the 18-year-old broke through last season, and that can now continue.
Unfortunately, it’s likely that we are now into the final year of Thiago’s stay on Merseyside. Unless something changes during the course of the season, he’ll depart on a free transfer in a year’s time.
Despite showing spots of genius during his three seasons at Liverpool so far, his period at the club has been severely injury-hit.
If it is to be his last campaign at Anfield, then Thiago – and the Liverpool fans – will hope for more of the former and far less of the latter in 2023/24. There’s still a big role to play for this little maestro.