Topic: Welcome to Liverpool Thiago Alcantara

[markedasred]

How could you not love this? I was in Reddit, no idea why, but I'm in the LFC group on there, and someone added this picture. It is of Takumi in a Hotel when him and the other Japan youth team members saw Thiago, and asked for the usual fan selfie. Little did he know that four years later they would be in the same team. This is like the Andy Robbo story but with photo evidence!
https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/comments/ivrrss/in_2016_takumi_minamino_took_a_picture_with/

feel free to insert the pic if you have a picture hosting account.

[CraigDS]

How could you not love this? I was in Reddit, no idea why, but I'm in the LFC group on there, and someone added this picture. It is of Takumi in a Hotel when him and the other Japan youth team members saw Thiago, and asked for the usual fan selfie. Little did he know that four years later they would be in the same team. This is like the Andy Robbo story but with photo evidence!
https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/comments/ivrrss/in_2016_takumi_minamino_took_a_picture_with/

feel free to insert the pic if you have a picture hosting account.

[Statto Red]

Markus Babbel on a free from Bayern. Was world class for us for 1-2 seasons.

Babbel got a seroius illness when he was with us too didn't he

[markedasred]

Cheers Craig, obviously that's Taki with the blue arrow pointing him out.

[planet-terror]

Welcome aboard. Wonderful signing

[The G in Gerrard]

Welcome! Can't wait to see him play.

[Crosby Nick]

Karpin.

I’m not, I’m just tying to remember their names.

[Pie Eyed]

Think I'm gonna be sick 

The best comment of the entire thread to sum up this signing. 

[naYoRHa2b]

I don't do YT comps much because an average player can be made to look good but my word his are something else. He's 29 so he's gonna have a decent sample size of good things but the last time I felt like this was when we signed Suarez. Except then it was more a case of wondering why he hadn't moved on when you saw his quality. It's the sort of player we have been crying out for and they don't really come any better and experienced as he does

[Doc Red]

The best comment of the entire thread to sum up this signing. 

Welcome back!

[RedForeverTT]

Do we now have the better starting midfield compared Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano? Assuming our starters are Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho.

[duvva 💅]

Babbel got a seroius illness when he was with us too didn't he

He had Guillain-Barré syndrome, absolutely destroyed him. Was brilliant for us that first season, but never truly recovered from the illness

[Stockholm Syndrome]

Do we now have the better starting midfield compared Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano? Assuming our starters are Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho.

I don't think we'll have 3 starting midfielders in that sense. We have 8 midfielders and I would say 5 or 6 could be considered 1st choice under different circumstances; depending on the teams we play or formation we set out.

[DarkOfTheManatee]

One of those rare signings by any club where even 90% of rival fans have to admit they're gutted that he's signed, and can't pretend he's overrated or a waste of money etc etc. As others have said, can't remember the last time we signed a readymade world-class player. What a statement of our position in the game right now.

Our midfield depth is now out-of-this-world, and has so many exciting possible combinations. Could genuinely end up fielding something like Keita-Milner-Wijnaldum in the League Cup, with Ox and Jones stepping off the bench, which almost seems unfair.

[Hazell]

Was watching videos of him today. Needless to say I'm getting pretty excited about watching him play for us.

[farawayred]

Exciting player indeed. I'm curious to see how Klopp and Pep (the good one) would utilize him.

[Pie Eyed]

Welcome back!

Thanks mate.

I've not been anywhere - Just more lurking and reading than posting. 

[Tanner]

He's the type of player that has longevity at the highest level of the game. Effortless intelligence that ages extremely well as he's that style of player who's intangibles/IQ mitigate their fading athleticism as time passes.

At 25 million I'd say there's a very good chance we have a world class player here for 7+ years. Iniesta (34), Pirlo (36), Xavi's (35), Zidane's (38) all played into their mid-late 30's at the highest level for club & country and whilst Thiago isn't in that 'hall of fame' territory (yet), I wouldn't say he's far off ability wise.

[Red-Dread]

Even if we only got three top seasons out of him the transfer will still have been a total bargain.

It's been clear for a few years nw that the fella's a maestro - he'll contribute importantly on the pitch and consistently to boot.

He's also a model pro and serial winner- work ethic and sublime talent combo - he's a stress -free footballer

Likely to have incalculable benefit for the club as a whole too.  Amazing learning opportunity for  the likes of Jones, Elliot, Williams et al (even for TAA and Naby) to work with a player like this who is the complete package.

[elbow]

Teeahgo, come on let’s go!

https://youtu.be/r9oh7nK7tkY

[surfer. Fuck you generator.]

Do we now have the better starting midfield compared Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano? Assuming our starters are Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho.

No.

[Ghost Town]

He has something about him as well, outside of his footballing ability. A kind of glamour. Lovely smile as well.

Perhaps the most multilingual of our players now Lovren has gone?

[Groundskeeper Willie]

Think I'm gonna be sick 

Why? You got Ole at the wheel, so plenty of reasons to feel good.


For us.

[Groundskeeper Willie]

Do we now have the better starting midfield compared Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano? Assuming our starters are Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho.

No. But if Fab, Thiago, Keita were the starters we´d be even closer to that.

[IanZG]

Cheers Craig, obviously that's Taki with the blue arrow pointing him out.

Was looking at the photo a whole minute and trying to figure out who Taki is in the picture before you pointed the arrow out

[ScouserAtHeart]

Do we now have the better starting midfield compared Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano? Assuming our starters are Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho.

Maybe it's just nostalgia but that midfield was perfection

[Brain Potter]

Maybe it's just nostalgia but that midfield was perfection

Yes and as in the song we had Momo Sissoko also.

[Crosby Nick]

Claude Makelele was in that Celta Vigo team. Was a good solid team that.

Had no idea. Just made me look at the line up. Salgado was in there too. Decent team, as most Spanish sides seemed to be back then.

[emergency exit]

Has Thiago trained with the team yet? He wasn‘t in the latest training pictures, but those are from Friday. Klopp said on Friday that Thiago might already join training that day, if all his media obligations allowed for it. Judging by those pictures the Friday session came too early for him. But what about yesterday‘s? If he trained, he could be in contention for today, no?

[classycarra]

Claude Makelele was in that Celta Vigo team. Was a good solid team that.

Amazing. Vague memories only of the highlights, but remember it being a pretty horrible time for us in Europe!

Had a look after you mentioned it was Makelele partnering Thiago's dad, but it was also Real Madrid legend Salgado playing at right back.

https://www.footballdatabase.eu/en/match/summary/1028578-celta_vigo-liverpool

EDIT: HMm should have finished reading the thread, only a cool three hours later than Nick!

[redgriffin73]

Has Thiago trained with the team yet? He wasn‘t in the latest training pictures, but those are from Friday. Klopp said on Friday that Thiago might already join training that day, if all his media obligations allowed for it. Judging by those pictures the Friday session came too early for him. But what about yesterday‘s? If he trained, he could be in contention for today, no?

Just seen this pic on social media of him in London.

[harleydanger]

Do we now have the better starting midfield compared Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano? Assuming our starters are Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho.

no

[thisyearisouryear]

Do we now have the better starting midfield compared Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano? Assuming our starters are Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho.

Mascherano => Fabinho
Alonso => Thiago
Gerrard => Keita

[Adeemo]

Mascherano => Fabinho
Alonso => Thiago
Gerrard => Keita

Not sure you can say Liverpool Alonso is better than Thiago, as he went up a couple more levels after leaving us. Also, I think I’d be tempted to pick Fab over Mascherano as he’s more disciplined, more creative, more of a goal threat and he’s always looking for the forward pass. Quite simply a better all round player, rather than simply a destroyer.

[disgraced cake]

Mascherano => Fabinho
Alonso => Thiago
Gerrard => Keita

I'd have Fabinho over Mascherano all day.

[The-Originals]

I'd have Fabinho over Mascherano all day.

i,ll have the champions over anybody, all day

[Melbred]

I somehow get the feeling that he's not going to take long to bed in at all.

Wouldn't be surprised if he made an appearance today.

[rafathegaffa83]

Rummenigge on Thiago leaving. Classy
https://mobile.twitter.com/RaeComm/status/1307652891688284162

[classycarra]

Rummenigge on Thiago leaving. Classy
https://mobile.twitter.com/RaeComm/status/1307652891688284162

Thiago sounds classy.

Karl Heinz talks a lot. Seems like a pretty private moment he's sharing there.

[Dim Glas]

Thiago sounds classy.

Karl Heinz talks a lot. Seems like a pretty private moment he's sharing there.

It’s a Bayern thing - they LOVE to make everything public and Kalle loves to talk 

The way that reads makes it seem they did him a favour in taking less money than they could have got had they really pushed for him to go elsewhere. The ‘thanks for allowing this’. As in thanks for letting me go to Liverpool.