FC Barcelona face an uphill battle of reinforcing their squad ahead of next season. But the task of securing a competitive team through rigorous recruitment has been stifled by financial restrictions.
In view of these handicaps, Barcelona have surveyed a number of low-cost opportunities in the transfer market. One of the names on the club’s radar was Thiago Alcantara, who is nearing the end of his Liverpool contract and would hardly cost a fortune.
However, in a recent revelation by Toni Juanmartí, Barcelona have rejected the signing of their former La Masia youth prospect.
While Thiago is seen as one of football’s most silky players in possession with immense security on the ball and decent output up-field, this decision does not come as a surprise, following the club’s urgency of addressing the defensive midfield department, where Thiago would merely be a misfit.
The Spaniard is a veteran past his peak and does not possess the ability to displace either one of the interiors, albeit he would provide solid depth. In the previous Euros addition for Spain, Pedri regularly started over Thiago as well.
Moreover, since the club has other more pressing matters to deal with, they arguably do not consider aiding an already stacked midfield department.
Thiago’s attributes as an advanced midfielder with resemblances to Pedri and Gundogan do not label him a worthy sole pivot, a role which demands a far different skill set and is seen as the biggest priority for the Catalan giants.
Aged 32, Thiago has ample experience to offer a leadership presence, yet the downsides of signing someone with injury concerns and players ahead of him in the pecking order outweigh the positives.
Thiago is undeniably one of the best talents of his generation, but it is not a far fetch to claim the ship has sailed, and the coaching staff unsurprisingly finds it preferable to deal with other areas of the squad.
