Footy Extras

Bayern Munich icon Lothar Matthaus believes the door is open for Liverpool star Thiago Alcantara to return to the club.

The Spaniard joined Liverpool from Bayern last year, having lifted seven Bundesliga league trophies, four German Cups and a UEFA Champions League during his seven campaigns at the Allianz Arena.

The midfielder has failed to replicate his best form at Anfield however, and was targeted with fierce criticism in the wake of the Reds’ collapse at Leicester City last weekend with club great Jamie Carragher calling him a ‘liability defensively’.

While the midfielder has shown glimpses of his proven talent, his struggles have seen calls for his return to Die Roten emerge in Germany with Lothar eager to see it happen.

‘How about Bayern bring Thiago back to Munich? Lothar told Sky Germany. ‘He is not getting on in Liverpool and in Munich he is missed by Hansi Flick and the fans’.

Thiago’s transfer away from Bayern was described as a ‘great loss’ by senior figure Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who also revealed Alcantara ‘hugged me for five minutes and cried’ as Thiago left the club.

And according to Lothar, the manner of that goodbye means a reunion can’t be ruled out. ‘Anyone who says goodbye to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge so emotionally, the door is certainly never completely closed’.

He missed 16 games during the first-half of the campaign with a knee injury and a further four after a positive coronavirus test. The former Barcelona ace is still to register a goal or assist for Jurgen Klopp’s team.

The Spain international Thiago Alcantara is still weeks away from fully returning to Liverpool action because of his ongoing knee injury, confirms Reds head coach Jurgen Klopp.

The midfielder suffered a serious knee injury in the Merseyside derby on 17 October when Everton forward Richarlison put in a high tackle which resulted in a red card.

It wasn’t thought to be that serious at the time and Alcantara has repeatedly been expected to return to senior team action, having trained since the incident.

However, Jurgen has explained why the knee injury is dragging on and how it proved confusing after the initial prognosis was quite positive.

‘So, on that day whenever it was, when Thiago got injured in that bad challenge in the Everton game, there was another bad injury after the scans,’ Jurgen told reporters.

‘One was bad news and one was really good news because nothing was broke or ruptured, but we realise now it was still a massive impact on the knee.

‘Because nothing is ruptured or broken you think you can go again after a few days but the impact on the knee was that big that it’s still not okay.

‘It’s not massive, he trains from time to time, not in the moment because we realise we have to go a few further steps.

‘I can’t say exactly when he will be fine, but it will take a few weeks though with Thiago, that’s how it is.’

The former Bayern Munich and Barcelona player has made just two Premier League matches since arriving at Anfield this summer transfer market, with the Merseyside derby his first start for his new team.

The Reds are struggling with a number of injuries to first team stars, with Virgil van Dijk, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Naby Keita, Joe Gomez and James Milner all currently sidelined.

There is some good news for the German, though, with Jordan Henderson fit again after his recent injury issue.

Xabi Alonso has full faith that Liverpool’s Thiago can go on to have as big of an impact at Anfield as he did at Bayern Munich.

The Spaniard has endured a stuttering start to his Reds career which has been blighted by injury.

Alcantara damaged his knee in October’s Merseyside derby and has only made two appearances for the Premier League champions since his £27 million move from Bayern back in the summer.

During his seven-year stint in Germany, the 29-year-old star won seven Bundesliga titles and the UEFA Champions League, becoming one of the world’s most revered midfielders in the process.

Alcantara is closing in on a return to action and his former Spain and Bayern team-mate Alonso backed him to be a rousing success.

‘I have loved watching Thiago Alcantara, the way he has been able to connect with the attacking players, helping to defend with his special qualities,’ the former Reds midfielder told UEFA’s official website.

‘He’s a great friend, but above that, he’s become one of the best midfielders, and he’s a fabulous, intelligent, interesting, fun guy to be around in a training session and a dressing room.

‘He loves football; he shows that with his personality and with the way he plays. He’s able to connect with his team-mates very easily.

‘He’s done it fantastically at Bayern, and I feel that he’s going to do it in the same way at Liverpool, and I love it.’

In other news, Liverpool have been put on high alert as La Liga giants Barcelona are readying a move to sign free agent Ezequiel Garay, according to a recent report from Spanish outlet Sport.

Fabinho has heaped praise on his teammate Thiago’s ‘exceptional’ passing attributes and backed the Spain star to play an important role for Liverpool.

The 29-year-old midfielder arrived from Bayern Munich back in the summer transfer market in a deal worth £20 million.

Alcantara enjoyed a promising start to his Anfield career, setting a PL record on his debut against Chelsea, with his 75 passes the most completed by a star who has featured for a maximum of 45 minutes.

Since then, the Spaniard has largely been sidelined after testing positive for coronavirus and suffering from a bruised knee after a reckless challenge from the Brazilian forward Richarlison in the Merseyside derby.

However, Fabinho is well aware of former Bayern and Barcelona man’s qualities and believes he and fellow summer recruit Diogo Jota both have a huge role to play in Jurgen Klopp’s side.

‘Thiago’s arrival will be really positive and he’s a player coming from an exceptional season at Bayern Munich last year.’ the South American told the club’s official website.

‘He’s an experienced player who inspires confidence given everything he has achieved.

‘He can also add something to our team, something we didn’t have before. The quality of his passing is exceptional.

‘He’s someone that receives the ball really well between the lines. So I think his arrival, both his and Jota’s, are going to be really important for us.’

In other news, Real Madrid are readying a move for Roberto Firmino in 2021, according to Todofichajes.

The Liverpool forward is apparently wanted by the La Liga giants, with president Florentino Perez seeing him as a strong option to strengthen the team ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Liverpool star Thiago is expected to be fit for his side’s Premier League clash with West Ham United this weekend, according to This Is Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Thiago would be out of that game, along with Naby Keita and Joel Matip, but it is believed that the Spain international is now close to a return.

It is claimed that the Reds sources say his absence have been more precautionary than anything, after being on the receiving end of a bad tackle by Everton’s Richarlison.

He has not been risked since then, but it looks as though a start could come Thiago’s way on Saturday.

The return of Alcantara will be a huge boost for the Reds, with the 29-year-old midfielder looking fantastic in his two games to date.

Thiago possesses the guile and ability to dictate a game that the other Reds midfielders lack, as he showed for so long at Bundesliga side Bayern Munich.

He being available will also mean Jurgen can shuffle his midfield pack, ensuring certain individuals are not overplayed during this busy period.

With Fabinho predominantly playing at centre-half for the time being, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum has featured heavily without Keita and Thiago around.

Meantime, Liverpool may choose not to land a new centre-back in January, in spite of the injury to Virgil van Dijk.

That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who report that Jurgen Klopp could be happy with the options at his disposal.

The Reds have been mentioned with moves for the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Kalidou Koulibaly and Ozan Kabak in January, but it may be that none come to Liverpool.

Fabinho has heaped praise on his teammate Thiago’s ‘exceptional’ passing attributes and backed the Spain star to play an important role for Liverpool.

The 29-year-old midfielder arrived from Bayern Munich back in the summer transfer market in a deal worth £20 million.

Alcantara enjoyed a promising start to his Anfield career, setting a PL record on his debut against Chelsea, with his 75 passes the most completed by a star who has featured for a maximum of 45 minutes.

Since then, the Spaniard has largely been sidelined after testing positive for coronavirus and suffering from a bruised knee after a reckless challenge from the Brazilian forward Richarlison in the Merseyside derby.

However, Fabinho is well aware of former Bayern and Barcelona man’s qualities and believes he and fellow summer recruit Diogo Jota both have a huge role to play in Jurgen Klopp’s side.

‘Thiago’s arrival will be really positive and he’s a player coming from an exceptional season at Bayern Munich last year.’ the South American told the club’s official website.

‘He’s an experienced player who inspires confidence given everything he has achieved.

‘He can also add something to our team, something we didn’t have before. The quality of his passing is exceptional.

‘He’s someone that receives the ball really well between the lines. So I think his arrival, both his and Jota’s, are going to be really important for us.’

In other news, Real Madrid are readying a move for Roberto Firmino in 2021, according to Todofichajes.

The Liverpool forward is apparently wanted by the La Liga giants, with president Florentino Perez seeing him as a strong option to strengthen the team ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Barcelona allegedly made a sensational last-minute bid to bring now-Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara back to the Camp Nou this transfer market, but the midfielder was already sold on moving to the Reds from Bayern Munich.

The Anfield outfit snapped up Thiago for just £20 million, with £5 million in add-ons, which could prove to be the bargain of the transfer market given the quality of the Spain international.

It was a lengthy transfer saga over the summer as the PL champions came to an agreement with both the star and the German club for his services.

The Guardian claims that Barcelona tried to throw a spanner in the works of those talks by making a late move for their former player, but Alcantara was not interested in returning to the Catalan side.

The report states that Alcantara had enjoyed a number of video calls with Reds head coach Jurgen Klopp who successfully convinced him to transfer to Anfield.

In contrast, Barcelona’s attempts to bring the player back to the Camp Nou were rushed and late in the day.

The Spain star explained why he chose the Merseyside outfit as his next step as he sees it as an ideal side to add yet more trophies to his collection.

‘I think it’s an amazing feeling. I was waiting for this moment for a long time and I am very, very happy to be here,’ Thiago said following confirmation of his signing.

‘When the years are passing, you are trying to win as much as you can – and when you win, you want to win more.

‘I think this club describes what I am as well; I want to achieve all of the goals, win as many trophies as possible.

‘It also [has] this kind of family [feeling] that I need because we [like to] have a very close relationship with the club and I think I will feel this, I will have this feeling, with this club as well.’

Danny Murphy thinks Jurgen Klopp ‘deserves a medal’ for sealing the signing of Thiago Alcantara for Liverpool this summer.

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Murphy believes the £20 million deal which saw the former Barcelona man swap Bayern for Anfield was an ‘absolute steal’.

His final game for the Bundesliga giants saw him lift the UCL title and he has now arrived on English soil to represent the PL champions.

And Murphy believes he will prove to be a ‘brilliant’ signing for the Anfield outfit and that their fans will ‘adore’ him.

‘I think Thiago is an unbelievable acquisition because he is one of the only players in Europe who could improve Liverpool’s midfield,’ he told the Football Index Podcast.

‘Even at 29 years old, he will give Liverpool at least three or four years and it was a brilliant bit of business for the fee involved as well.

‘Thiago has the ability to always have time on the ball because of the movement he does to create space. He very rarely loses the ball when he is pressed because of his awareness.

‘Thiago is an absolute steal at that price. Klopp deserves a medal for convincing him because the Liverpool fans are going to adore him.’

Jurgen Klopp’s outfit face bitter local rivals and early Premier League leaders, Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton this weekend.

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp is still keen on signing forward Adama Traore, according to Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness.

The Wolves man has arguably become one of the PL’s most exciting attacking players, using his blistering pace to great effect.

This latest report claims that Klopp is eyeing up a move for the 24-year-old winger, with journalist Miguel Rico stating that it’d be a ‘logical’ move for the Reds boss.

Barcelona allegedly made a sensational last-minute bid to bring now-Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara back to the Camp Nou this transfer market, but the midfielder was already sold on moving to the Reds from Bayern Munich.

The Anfield outfit snapped up Thiago for just £20 million, with £5 million in add-ons, which could prove to be the bargain of the transfer market given the quality of the Spain international.

It was a lengthy transfer saga over the summer as the PL champions came to an agreement with both the star and the German club for his services.

The Guardian claims that Barcelona tried to throw a spanner in the works of those talks by making a late move for their former player, but Alcantara was not interested in returning to the Catalan side.

The report states that Alcantara had enjoyed a number of video calls with Reds head coach Jurgen Klopp who successfully convinced him to transfer to Anfield.

In contrast, Barcelona’s attempts to bring the player back to the Camp Nou were rushed and late in the day.

The Spain star explained why he chose the Merseyside outfit as his next step as he sees it as an ideal side to add yet more trophies to his collection.

‘I think it’s an amazing feeling. I was waiting for this moment for a long time and I am very, very happy to be here,’ Thiago said following confirmation of his signing.

‘When the years are passing, you are trying to win as much as you can – and when you win, you want to win more.

‘I think this club describes what I am as well; I want to achieve all of the goals, win as many trophies as possible.

‘It also [has] this kind of family [feeling] that I need because we [like to] have a very close relationship with the club and I think I will feel this, I will have this feeling, with this club as well.’