Confirmation that Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento – known as simply Thiago – had signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2020 was met with huge excitement from the Reds faithful. Not only were they acquiring a player with a big reputation but one available for a fairly low price tag. With only one year left on his existing contract, Liverpool handed over just £20m (plus up to £5m in add-ons) for the Spaniard.
At the time of the announcement, the overwhelming consensus was this was an excellent deal for Liverpool. Aged 29 at the time, this was hardly a player who was well past his prime. In fact, Thiago made the switch from Bayern Munich having just helped the Bavarians lift the Champions League. Partly for his efforts in the competition, he found himself named in the 2020 UEFA Team of the Year and FIFA FIFPro World 11.
No transfer is guaranteed to be a success though and as it proved to be with Thiago, his Liverpool career had both ups and downs. In this article, we look at the Spaniard’s highs and lows in a Liverpool shirt and assess whether or not he was a good signing overall.
Quality Immediately Apparent
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Although Liverpool recorded 30 fewer league points in 2020/21 than the season before, the decline had nothing to do with Thiago as the Spaniard proved to be a good asset from the start. On his debut against Chelsea, after coming on at half-time as a substitute, Thiago made 75 passes. Not only was this more than any Chelsea player managed in the entire game, but it was an Opta record for most passes in 45 minutes.
Even in this brief outing, Thiago was able to demonstrate how he could provide something a little different to the Liverpool midfield. The Reds had plenty of physical ‘engine room’ players in the team, such as Jordan Henderson, Georgini Wijnaldum and Fabinho but lacked a supremely gifted technical player in the middle of the park. What Thiago offered Liverpool was a dynamic figure that could link defence and attack with agile movement and line-breaking passing. Not only was Thiago a very gifted player in his own right but he offered something Liverpool did not already have.
It was not an entirely positive debut for Thiago though as he also conceded a penalty for a clumsy tackle on Timo Werner. The defensive side of the game had never been Thiago’s strong suit and he showed why with this completely unnecessary tackle. Fortunately for him, Allison saved the resulting spot-kick, ensuring there was less focus on his error than there might have been otherwise.
Quality Continues
After a promising opening season at Anfield, in which Thiago made 30 appearances across all competitions, he then enjoyed the busiest campaign of his Liverpool stay. In the 2021/22 season, the midfielder made 39 appearances, with 25 coming in the Premier League. His performances in the English top flight saw him named in the PFA Team of the Year. Admittedly, many fans queried his inclusion, believing there were more deserving players such as Rodri. We would agree with this but Thiago was still among the best central midfielders that season, even if he wasn’t in the top two-thirds.
With Thiago providing some real craft to the Liverpool midfield, they finished second in the league and collected two domestic trophies (FA Cup and League Cup). The former Bayern man played every minute of the FA Cup final and converted his penalty in the shootout, but missed out on the League Cup final after injuring himself in the warm-up. Sadly for Thiago, collecting injuries at Liverpool was something he became rather accustomed to.
Injuries Limit Impact
Liverpool midfielder Thiago has suffered another injury setback.
The former Spain international only made his comeback after nearly 10 months out as a late substitute in last Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, but he’s facing another spell on the sidelines due to a muscle problem.… pic.twitter.com/tSB2bC3flD
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) February 8, 2024
The injury that ruled Thiago out of the 2022 League Cup final proved to be a minor problem but his time at Liverpool was plagued by more serious issues. Across the four years he spent at Anfield, he picked up eight injuries, as well as contracting Covid-19 twice. This is his club and country injury record as detailed at TransferMarkt.
| Injuries (inc. Illness) | Days Missed | Games Missed |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 675 | 130 |
By the time his contract expired, he had missed more Liverpool games than he played. In the Premier League, out of a possible 113 league games (he signed after the first game of 2020/21) Thiago started 51 and came on as a substitute in another 17. Part of the issue was perhaps that an ageing Thiago, who did have a fairly lengthy injury record beforehand, suffered with the added physicality of the Premier League.
The extra physical demands the Premier League put on a player can take its toll this may have contributed to the range of issues Thiago developed. There was some misfortune involved too though such as in the October 2020 Merseyside derby where he was on the receiving end of a horror challenge from Richarlison (which the Brazilian saw red for). This forced Thiago to spend over two months on the sidelines and was coincidentally the same match that Virgil van Dijk picked up a season-ending ACL injury.
Top Highlight
His superbly struck half-volley against Porto in the Champions League. Oozing with technique and rapidly curving away from the keeper, it was later voted Goal of the Tournament.
Worst Moment
After recovering from a lengthy lay-off, Thiago returned for a five-minute cameo against Arsenal in February 2024, only to immediately pick up a new problem. His long-awaited return very quickly turned sour and he never played for the Reds again.
Not the Best Signing, But Not the Worst
Thiago Alcantara’s time with the Reds will come to an end this summer upon the expiration of his contract.
A truly special player. Thank you for everything, Thiago ❤️
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 17, 2024
Given his fairly small fee, Thiago has to be considered a decent signing. He provided plenty of good moments and rarely looked out of place for one of the best teams in the country. His passing ability and ability to keep possession made him an asset whenever he was handed minutes in a Reds shirt.
While he frequently demonstrated great technical ability though, his time at Anfield was not without its limitations and setbacks. Defensively he could be a little vulnerable and the physicality of the Premier League perhaps did not suit him as much as other players. More significantly though was his injury record that saw him frequently sitting on the sidelines.
With the power of hindsight, would most Liverpool fans sign him knowing what was to come? We would say they probably would. But he is a fair way from being one of the club’s best signings of recent times.