It’s expected that one Liverpool player in particular will join Jurgen Klopp in leaving the club at the end of this season.
According to Football Insider, Thiago Alcantara is unlikely to remain at Anfield beyond the summer, with his current contract expiring in June.
With the manager – who’s one of the 32-year-old’s biggest admirers – departing once the campaign ends, it’s claimed that the midfielder will need to remain fit and ‘play a big role’ between now and May in order to have any chance of being offered a new deal.
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If you’d said this time last year that, by February 2024, Liverpool would be top of the Premier League despite not having Thiago for almost six months of the season, the idea would’ve seemed preposterous.
When fully fit, the Spain international offers a level of technical brilliance which surpasses that of his illustrious teammates. It’s telling that Roy Keane – never a man to offer praise lightly – has dubbed him a player of ‘pure quality’ (ITV Sport, via HITC).
However, last summer’s much-needed midfield rebuild has seen the Reds thrive without their gifted number 6, who only made his first appearance of the campaign off the bench against Arsenal last weekend following a nine-month layoff with a hip injury (Transfermarkt).
With Liverpool soon facing into a period of nine matches in 30 days, and facing a potential fixture pile-up after Easter depending on their ongoing involvement in knockout competitions, Thiago’s availability could be crucial for squad rotation alone.
Even if he doesn’t start every game, though, his brilliance makes him more than just a backup player at Anfield, and he could yet have a massive say in our season if he remains fit until the end of May.
He’ll be 33 by then, so there’s a strong chance that he may seek a new challenge elsewhere rather than committing to a new deal with the Reds, but there’s still time for him to sign off from LFC on a massive high if he is to depart in the summer.
#Ep100 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️
Yeah Thiago is a great player but has been injured for far too long . We need him to move on and him leaving is best for both of us.
He got injured after coming on in 85th minute against Arsenal!! Out for Burnley match
Thiago Alcantara is so gifted that he could pass a ball to anybody on the field at any given time. His vision is second to none