Thiago Alcántara linked with new role at Barcelona after Liverpool departure
Thiago Alcantara has been linked with a return to Barcelona following his departure from Liverpool this summer.
Not as a player, but in a new role alongside the new Barça coach, Hansi Flick.
Thiago is a free agent after his contract at Anfield expired at the end of the season.
It was a frustrating spell for the Spanish midfielder, who was unable to truly show his undoubted quality in the Premier League due to a series of injury problems during his four years. Liverpool career.
Although he is 33 years old and his recent career has been affected by fitness issues, there has yet to be any mention of Thiago hanging up his boots.
But reports of Half Spanish AS claims that he is being watched by the former club Barcelona in a link function.
The Spanish giants are said to be looking for someone who speaks Spanish and German to help new boss Flick adapt to life at the Camp Nou when starts working as Xavi's successor.
Thiago would be the perfect candidate, as he worked with Flick during his time at Bayern Munich.
It is claimed that he would act as a “direct link” between the coach and the players to help smooth the transition period between the two coaches, as well as working as a translator.
it was a role Jose Mourinho He had Bobby Robson at Sporting Lisbon, before becoming the great English coach's assistant at Porto and then at Barcelona before moving into management full-time.
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Barça sporting director Deco is said to be looking for a player in the twilight of his career to fill the role, with two other veteran stars in the running.
Marc Bartra and Javi Martínez are the other names on the list, and the report explains that “the objective is for them to be fundamental in coexistence in the locker room.”
Bartra, 33, is also a former Barcelona player and knows German after his time at Borussia Dortmund.
He is currently in a second spell with Real Betis, to whom he returned in 2023 after a season with Turkish club Trabzonspor, but a long-standing tendon problem has limited him to just four appearances since his return to the Spanish side.
Unlike Thiago and Bartra, Martínez has not played for Barça in his career, but he did spend nine years at Bayern Munich, where he was coached by Flick.
Martínez currently plies his trade in the Middle East with Qatar SC, where he moved in 2021, but at 35 years old he is closer to retiring than the other two.
