John Barnes has claimed that Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara would’ve been a much better signing for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Jurgen Klopp signed the 29-year-old from Bayern Munich in a £20 million deal last summer.
And despite some glimpses of his ability, Liverpool still haven’t really seen the best of the Spain international just yet.
There’s been some injury problems but even when he is fit, there have been suggestions that Thiago isn’t the right player for the sort of intense style that Klopp employs, with some arguing that he slows down the speed of their game.
The former Barcelona midfielder has previously played under Guardiola at Camp Nou and the Allianz Arena.
And Liverpool legend Barnes believes that Thiago’s qualities are more in line with Guardiola’s philosophy than Klopp’s.
He told Sport 1 in Germany: “Thiago is a different type of player. We have got used to playing a particular style over the past three years. Above all, Thiago is a fantastic player. In some ways, and seeing how Manchester City play, he might be a better fit for Manchester City because of the way he plays. That’s why Guardiola loved him so much at Bayern Munich and Barcelona.”
Thiago had a good game in the Champions League win over Leipzig last night but, domestically, there are still questions over whether he’ll adapt to this Liverpool side.
He was benched for the 3-1 defeat by Leicester City last weekend but came on after 18 minutes for James Milner, though he still struggled against Brendan Rodgers’s side.
He’s clearly an unbelievable footballer and despite having Champions League winners medals under his belt, he still has a bit to prove in English football.
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