Thiago Alcantara has no plans to leave Bayern Munich
Thiago Alcantara was heavily linked with a move away from Bayern Munich this summer, but that won’t be happening for a long time.
Up until his injury several weeks ago, Thiago Alcantara had been Niko Kovac’s best and most important player at Bayern Munich this season. The Spaniard was a stalwart of the Croatian’s midfield, most often playing in a defensive midfield role.
It was widely rumored this past summer that the former Barcelona midfielder could be looking for a change of scenery. He was Bayern’s best player during Carlo Ancelotti’s first season in Bavaria, but took a step back last season under Jupp Heynckes.
Even so, Thiago stayed in Munich, and based on his recent interview with 11 Freunde (via Bundesliga.com), the Spaniard has no plans to make that change any time soon.
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"“In sport and in life, it’s not just about titles. [But] when I sign a contract, I think within the terms of the deal. In football everything happens so fast. But it became obvious early on that everything fits in Munich and my family likes it.“And now I have a contract until 2021. I never thought I’d stay at Bayern so long. To me, it’s very important to see out a contract.”"
This isn’t the first time Thiago’s pledged his allegiance to Die Roten. He’s always expressed his devotion to the club off the pitch and showed it even further on it.
At 27-years-old, Thiago is just now entering the prime of his career. When fit and in form, he’s one of the best in the world. He has the versatility to play anywhere in midfield, too. Despite beginning his career as more of a number 10, he’s now more comfortable playing in a deeper role.
He’s smooth as silk on the ball and has incredible vision and passing range. He’s no slouch on defense, either. Despite his relatively diminutive stature, Thiago is great in the air and an exceptional ball-winner. His positioning is second to none, too, so he can intercept passes with the best of them.
His only real flaw is that he’s injury prone. In fact, the only real reason he hasn’t fully established himself as one the world’s best midfielders is because he has hardly had a prolonged time in his career uninterrupted by injury.
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Regardless, Bayern would be foolish to let him go right now. Thiago is happy at the club and at the perfect age to play a vital role for the next few years.