Lothar Matthaus has compared new Bayern Munich midfielder Marc Roca to Champions League winner Thiago Alcantara after the likes of Aston Villa, Sheffield United and Burnley missed out on the Spaniard’s signature, while speaking to Sky (translated by BILD).
If Hansi Flick’s treble-winners were boasting the kind of top-level quality that would make even Manchester City’s squad look inadequate, they were certainly lacking when it comes to quantity.
A 4-1 thumping at the hands of Hoffenheim, just three days after a 120-minute slog against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, raised fears that a lack of depth could scupper Bayern’s chances of dominating the continent again with a gruelling fixture list looming on the horizon.
So, with the transfer window shutting on Monday, FC Hollywood acted fast to add some supporting characters to an all-star cast.
Bouna Sarr and the returning Douglas Costa have been joined at the Allianz Arena by a £13 million play-maker relegated from La Liga with Espanyol last term.
Amid reported interest from Villa, Sheffield United and Burnley (MD), a sudden switch to the European champions certainly raised plenty of eyebrows.
But Matthaus, a German legend and 1990 Ballon d’Or winner, believes that Roca could prove to be an inspired piece of business, comparing the Spain U21 international with the midfield maestro who left Bayern for Liverpool this summer.
“He mostly plays as a number eight, he is a bit like (Leon) Goretzka. A small, technical player, a fine player, can play good balls, he has game intelligence,” Matthaus says.
“He’s also a bit of a Thiago type. Although he was relegated with Espanyol, he has played more than 100 times in the Spanish league and has a lot of experience.”
Roca, a deep-lying play-maker who idolises Sergio Busquetts and Xabi Alonso, was also a target for Arsenal before the Gunners finally broke the bank for Thomas Partey.
La Razon claimed in June that Mikel Arteta was ‘dreaming’ of a deal to bring Roca to North London.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
