Topic: Welcome to Liverpool Thiago Alcantara

[deadsetred]

Anyone got the interview?

[ricen]

Bienvenidos thiago. Glad to have you on the team. Can’t wait to see video of the first practice

[woof]

Great capture! Gives us another dimension. Klopp is a great manager - reinventing us every season to make us better. He doesn't allow the team to stand still.

[ricen]

We got him for just 5 mil up front according to James pearce

[royhendo]

These are difficult times.

[keyop]

@thisisanfield
Thiago: "Philippe Coutinho and Xabi Alonso helped me a lot [in deciding to join Liverpool]." ❤️

Coutinho really is the gift that keeps on giving.
Great player for us but has his head turned, allowing us to rinse Barca and buy Virgil and Alisson. Then turns shit whilst we're becoming the world's best team, making our deal look even better. Then goes to Bayern and scores twice against Barca in the 8-2 humiliation. Then helps persuade Thiago we're the right club.

All we need now is an own goal from him in the CL final against Barca and his work is complete.

[fredfrop]

Watching Klopp's embargoed press conference is hilarious, no-one has explained to him what an embargo is.

[smutchin]

Fernando Morientes was probably the biggest name signing we made in my lifetime, struggling to think of anyone else who could be considered at that level of fame until Thiago.

Biggest signing since John Barnes? I mean, people may not think of Barnes as a global superstar because he’s English and was bought from another English club, but he was widely regarded as one of the best players in the world when we signed him, and very much in his prime.

[Slippers]

Welcome to the best football club in the world.

Fun times ahead.

[RedKenWah]

Where is the lean picture?

[Clint Eastwood]

He comes across a great guy and perfect for our dressing room. The fact he’s left the current European Champions turning down a huge contract to come and prove himself here speaks volumes.

[No666]

Ancelotti saying the transfer breaks his heart.
"The only good thing about this signing is that he is a neighbour and that’s it. I think he chose the wrong team. He could choose the blue team, not the red team. I am joking. He is a fantastic player and my friend, Jurgen, will be happy. "

[7777]

How are we this morning?

[Gray Hamster]

I don't think Torres was World Class before joining us. He definitely had the potential, but there were actually question marks over how prolific he was. He averaged around 14 goals a seasons in La Liga. Plus Atletico weren't then what they are today, so even though we weren't what we are now, it was still a big step up for him.

yes that’s how I remember it

[Gray Hamster]

Yep. Klopp has really drilled it into them that it’s about the whole squad not just the 11 on the pitch. Most of the work is done in training, so playing with and against Thiago in training will also improve them.

The 80s Liverpool team talk about how training was harder than the games because they were facing each other.

i think you cannot underestimate just how important this is. If you have so many great players in your squad, the learning curve coming into that squad will be almost limitless. Many years of this and you just become a dominant force over a very long period of time with a team of winners, learning from winners.

[kasperoff]

Bit of a statement signing really. Front of the queue for a World Class midfielder, prised away from one of the other best sides in the world. This is how you stay on top when you are on top.

Can’t quite believe how far we have come over the last 3 years. Jurgen the ownership and the management are the best in the business.

[RedForeverTT]

Jari Litmanen was a big name signing as well.

Agree also with Morientes. Torres to a lesser degree.

The most recent big name would have to go back to Rogers when he signed Balotelli.

[Kekule]

Jari Litmanen was a big name signing as well.

Agree also with Morientes. Torres to a lesser degree.

The most recent big name would have to go back to Rogers when he signed Balotelli.

Nobody thought Balotelli was a good idea though, did they?! (Not disagreeing he was a well known name, I just don’t remember anyone being that excited.  People wanted it to go well but it was always looked at through fingers, wasn’t it?)

[smutchin]

Nobody thought Balotelli was a good idea though, did they?!

No one apart from Raiola.

[DelTrotter]

Still can't believe we've got him. The best in the world in his position and we've got him to leave a giant team who have just strolled the CL and all for like 20m 

He's going to fit perfectly on and off the pitch.

[David in Edinburgh]

What a superb signing. Instantly improves our great team and not many players would do that. His presence will also, imho,  help to improve our current midfielders.

[Simplexity]

Jari Litmanen was a big name signing as well.

Agree also with Morientes. Torres to a lesser degree.

The most recent big name would have to go back to Rogers when he signed Balotelli.

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

[So… Howard Philips]

First big name who was a success in my time was John Toshack. Alun Evans and Tony Hately hadn't worked out but Toshack became part of a great team and was highly rated when he signed - one of a number of highly rated Welsh centre forwards at that time if I recall - Wyn Davies?

[Syntexity]

Welcome Thiago! Such an exciting signing really, what a player he is. I followed him quite closely when he played for Barca, but after he went to Bayern its been more in the CL and international games. It was easy to see in his younger days that he would probably become a wonderful playmaker and midfielder. I thought for Barca, he was the natural successor to Xavi and Iniesta. Always felt he was a bit of a hybrid between the two. He has taken some of the best skills from them both and turned it into one superb player. In addition he has really developed his defensive side during his time at Bayern, he defends very cleverly in my eyes, not reckless in any way. In my opinion Barcas downfall started when they failed to keep him (he only needed a few more matches that season for the automatic increase of the buyout clause and contract extension).

I am really excited to see him perform for us in the PL, if he can dominate in the same manner here he will take us to a new level. He thrives in pressure situations really, he can find the gaps in so many different ways. At the same time, you cant stand off him as he will just pick out the clever passes through lines, over the last line, drible past someone to disrupt any defensive organization or just keep things ticking and set the pace of the game and sooner or later the opponent will either be exhausted or give him just the right option. He does thrive when players around him makes a lot of movement like any other playmaker of course, but with Bobby, Salah and Mane that should be in place.

At some point this season some dimwit in the media will start spouting nonsense about lack of assist or goals from him, because thats what some only see as a success (forgetting the play leading to it). But his contribution in those fields are dependant on where he plays, but more importantly his role is to help dominate and win games, break down defensive structures and make the players around him better and he excells at that.

Ever since the first links to him appeared it was still just a hope, but thats now reality. What a signing and what a deal. Credit to the club and owners for making this happen. Hopefully he will bring us a lot of success during his time here.

[Gaz123456]

A fantastic signing, not been this excited since we signed Van Dijk, and that turned out rather well.

[Carra-ton]

Loved that interview. Even though LFCtv did their best to ask cringey questions he was eloquent.
Found it interesting that he came to Liverpool as a child to watch at Anfield as his father played for Celta Vigo against Liverpool in the UEFA cup.

[RedForeverTT]

Must have been our highest profile recruit since VVD.

Alison, Salah, Mane arrived with great reputation as well but Thiago tipped the scale.

[RedSince86]

Loved that interview. Even though LFCtv did their best to ask cringey questions he was eloquent.
Found it interesting that he came to Liverpool as a child to watch at Anfield as his father played for Celta Vigo against Liverpool in the UEFA cup.

That was a boss Celta team.

With those 2 Russians and that Israeli striker.

[Carra-ton]

That was a boss Celta team.

With those 2 Russians and that Israeli striker.

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

[Crosby Nick]

That was a boss Celta team.

With those 2 Russians and that Israeli striker.

Ha, I was at that game and we were fucking shite. Very early Gerrard appearance the only highlight.

Mostovoi was one of them, who else?

[Samie]

Karpin.

[newterp]

Karpin.

Seize the day!!

[Ocean Red]

Wow. Fantastic world class signing. Welcome to Liverpool FC. Thiago Alcantara 

[Dr. Beaker]

First big name who was a success in my time was John Toshack. Alun Evans and Tony Hately hadn't worked out but Toshack became part of a great team and was highly rated when he signed - one of a number of highly rated Welsh centre forwards at that time if I recall - Wyn Davies?

And Ron Davies wasn't bad either.

[TheYashLFC]

Welcome Thiago!!! Can't wait until they release a video of him training with the other lads!

[Yorkykopite]

First big name who was a success in my time was John Toshack. Alun Evans and Tony Hately hadn't worked out but Toshack became part of a great team and was highly rated when he signed - one of a number of highly rated Welsh centre forwards at that time if I recall - Wyn Davies?

My first ever match at Anfield and I saw Wyn Davies head-butt Larry Lloyd about five yards away from where I was standing - up against the front wall of the Annie Road. You could hear the thud of the collision. Lloyd got sent off!

Thiago's a good player - he says, bringing it neatly back to Thiago.

[soxfan]

Welcome Thiago!

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/sNSPAoaD5bg&amp;ab_channel=BrainBall" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/sNSPAoaD5bg&amp;ab_channel=BrainBall</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/M8FzaxKNmJs&amp;ab_channel=FootballMadeSimple" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/M8FzaxKNmJs&amp;ab_channel=FootballMadeSimple</a>

[RyanBabel19]

One of my favourite players

The guys is so composed it’s ridiculous, such a graceful player to watch and has so much ability to go with his calmness on the ball. Genuinely didn’t think we would sign him but so excited we have, his technical ability is of the highest level. Think a good few teams players are gonna struggle to get anywhere near him

Takes our midfield to a whole new level

[xbugawugax]

i have never seen him play much but from the reactions here, he seems like a freaking good buy

but i do remember a certain CL winning spaniard midfielder that could dictate the play effortlessly. If thiago is that good or even better then surely, it takes our already world class midfield to another level

[King Kenny 7]

I've not been this excited about a new signing since I found out Kenny was coming down the road to us.
It was always gonna be hard to improve our first 11 but this guy will do it.

And a few manc friends I have are fuming at us getting him.