Thiago Alcantara
- Thread starter IraqiCulé
- Start date
DeGea Loves Doughnuts
New member
Just seen this posted up on twitter:
https://twitter.com/CraigNorwood
Man Utd Photographer, doesn't usually ever post about transfer speculation or anything like that, not that it really tells us anything we didnt already know, everywhere seems to be reporting Mazinhio met with United and liked the offer on the table, all seems to be hinging on whether Barca hierarchy can convince him to stay something it seems they are trying VERY hard to do, but unless you sell one of the big 3 ahead of him i really dont see what if any assurances you can give him? Will Xavi be happy being told he will have to share his minutes with Thiago? would Vilanova even want or be willing to do this? even if he does where does that leave Fabregas?
I think as Hunter said 2 years ago Manchester United predicted when you signed Fabregas it was likely to be the end of Thiago, you just cant accommodate them all enough to keep them happy, and Thiago in his own words is not someone obsessed with making it at Barca, if he can get the game time elsewhere he seems like he wants to take it.
On another note would Thiago be that big a loss to you? i mean in the sense that Xavi is still world class and isnt going anywhere for at least the next couple of years, Iniesta is in my opinion the 2nd best player on the planet, you also have Fabregas who you went to great lengths to sign, i know you see Thiago as xavis long term successor but is it really fair to expect someone just to sit and wait years of his career away waiting for Xavi to call it quits? maybe when Xavi does retire you'll have someone else coming through or even have moulded Fabregas to replace him? thats another point, if Fabregas isnt going to replace Xavi, and hes certainly not displacing Iniesta what was the point in buying him??? surely not to sit on the bench??
https://twitter.com/CraigNorwood
Man Utd Photographer, doesn't usually ever post about transfer speculation or anything like that, not that it really tells us anything we didnt already know, everywhere seems to be reporting Mazinhio met with United and liked the offer on the table, all seems to be hinging on whether Barca hierarchy can convince him to stay something it seems they are trying VERY hard to do, but unless you sell one of the big 3 ahead of him i really dont see what if any assurances you can give him? Will Xavi be happy being told he will have to share his minutes with Thiago? would Vilanova even want or be willing to do this? even if he does where does that leave Fabregas?
I think as Hunter said 2 years ago Manchester United predicted when you signed Fabregas it was likely to be the end of Thiago, you just cant accommodate them all enough to keep them happy, and Thiago in his own words is not someone obsessed with making it at Barca, if he can get the game time elsewhere he seems like he wants to take it.
On another note would Thiago be that big a loss to you? i mean in the sense that Xavi is still world class and isnt going anywhere for at least the next couple of years, Iniesta is in my opinion the 2nd best player on the planet, you also have Fabregas who you went to great lengths to sign, i know you see Thiago as xavis long term successor but is it really fair to expect someone just to sit and wait years of his career away waiting for Xavi to call it quits? maybe when Xavi does retire you'll have someone else coming through or even have moulded Fabregas to replace him? thats another point, if Fabregas isnt going to replace Xavi, and hes certainly not displacing Iniesta what was the point in buying him??? surely not to sit on the bench??
Martindn
New member
I have a question hope youll forgive me for being a dick for a second, but why are they trying so hard? There was rumors before our interest of him being up for sale, maybe to raise funds? Also you think if tito or the board really wanted him to stay he would of played the last game to ensure his release clause stayed up? You dont get to be the manager of barcelona or on the board by being incompetent.
Maybe its a smokescreen so they can say look, we tried to convince him but he wanted the money? Im not usually one for conspiracies it just does not make sense.
Maybe its a smokescreen so they can say look, we tried to convince him but he wanted the money? Im not usually one for conspiracies it just does not make sense.
DeGea Loves Doughnuts
New member
Yes, i think thats a big part of it, Rosell knows the fans are pissed, one of their brightest prospects could be leaving and not just leaving but leaving for a pittance fee wise, all because of some ridiculous clause they could easily have avoided by, A not giving him in the first place and B playing him when the league was basically already won months sooner and Xavi was physically not right at the back end of the season, if theyd done this they wouldn't be in this position, they know they screwed up, they know the fans know they screwed up, they're trying desperately to fix it, worst case scenario they lose the player but make it look like they couldn't do anymore, if they dig their heels and show the fans they tried everything to convince Thiago to stay then they think that would turn the negative attention off them and onto Thiago, which of course makes their life easier.
By doing these things, offering new contracts dragging this out briefing the press etc they are basically trying to show the fans that they are doing everything they can to keep Thiago, they dont want him to go, and you can be sure if he does the spanish press will make a HUGE deal about it being money orientated, which again suits the Barcelona board, "see look he wanted the money nothing we could do" etc
Its all about taking the spotlight off their mistake and onto Thiago, make him look the bad guy, id imagine its what any owners would do in this situation, especially when they're the reason the situation exists in the first place and are hardly the most popular people to run Barcelona recently, you have to remember these people sit elections, the fans vote them onto the board, fans arent going to vote people like Rossell into power if they keep cocking things up.
DeGea Loves Doughnuts
New member
Id agree with you if this were a Fabregas for example, but after reading this quote i dont get the impression Thiago is one of those players who would want to return if he was happy:
"Id be lying if i said my dream was to succeed at Barca, my dream is to succeed in football"
That dosnt sound like someone who will kick up a fuss in 2 or 3 years to return 'home', unlike the likes of Fabregas and Pique i dont think Thiago feels that need to do it at barca, if hes happy and succeeding elshwere i think thats all he wants.
jklz
New member
Even a broken clock gets it right twice a day, right?
DeGea Loves Doughnuts
New member
What id be interested to know from you and other Barca fans on here is what do you think the board can offer to convince him to stay? i dont see what a new contract solves other than upping his salary and removing the release clause, its not going to improve his minutes on the pitch which is the key issue, i dont see how you can guarantee him the playing time he craves? can you change the system to accommodate him or at least accommodate more of the midfield players pushing him closer to the team? would Vilanova do this?? can you ask xavi to stand down his minutes? would Vilanova want to do this?? short of selling one of Xavi/Iniesta/Cesc how do you give Thiago any more game time?? i just dont see how you can convince him to stay when the problem is not contractual but on field.
It would seem selling Fabregas would solve a few issues here, and i can see why most on here would much prefer it, gets Thiago closer to the team, more minutes meaning hed probably want to stay and gets you 40 odd million to spend on other areas of the team without losing a key player, unfortunately Fabregas dosnt want to leave and i dont see your board forcing him out to solve the Thiago issue?
Butaan4barca
New member
A couple of days after he said that, he extended his stay and went on to explain, by football he means Barca, there is no other thought.
But yes, we all saw it coming, his father has always been vocal in defending his sons right (can't blame them). he just wants his sons to be successful.
Agreed with you guys, the moment we signed cesc, we knew it was over for him, but bad luck you can say. As he wasn't a finished product then.
And yes, we mightn't actually miss him at all, but all the guys here are furious because, he was smartly managed to be the thiago he is today. Barca made him, he is not that raw. He was the one who passed the famous 3 stages (guardiola's creation) of transforming a B teamer into the first class player. And he passed them in flying colors.
And then, barca transformed into a midfielder which we always lacked. Xavi and iniesta were never known to be great goal scorers. Where xavi is controller, iniesta is intruder- thiago was always known to be a blend of the two.
He definetely can control the game, has great passing range, he is very intelligence in picking a pass, Has vision to provide the killer pass (xavi checked). Besides that he is a great dribbler and is fully capable of intrusion (iniesta checked). He is a bit ronalidinish too (same samba kinda style, with tricks and manuevers and no look passes), Plus, he has a great abbility to score; great in set pieces, has a thunderbolt long range shot, and can curve the ball two ways too.
So he mightn't be missed, as much agreed, the three are just above him. BUT he was a keeper. Congratulations guys if you end up buying him. My first player on fantasy league next season, would be thiago.
Just i am not liking the idea of watching him wearing any other shirt. Followed him for ages, since he was in B team, and we all waited for him to shine. Just can't accept the idea of him rocking else where. He surely will be a champion anywhere.
As for barca, we have a factory.
Jadentheman
Active member
More playing time and a higher wage. Of course it's not guaranteed and Tito already say his chances of playing more are the same as last season. I don't think there is more the board can do except appeal to his "love" of Barca. Once MU pays that 15M we will lose him. His chances of staying are grim really
Butaan4barca
New member
exactly the points we all discussed earlier. The answer to all those is YES, if the board wants to keep him.
DeGea Loves Doughnuts
New member
Thanks for that reply very interesting read, reading that makes me wonder even more why your club went so all out to sign Fabregas when you had such a brilliant talent on the cusp of the team, surely the club must have been aware this would hamper Thiagos development and cause issues? and Barcelona have never struck me as a short sighted galactico vision club, you take great pride in developing these players so if United could have foreseen issues with Thiago surely Barcas helm did to? just seems strange.
As for your description of him, thats exactly why so many United fans are so excited and really want this to happen, we havnt had a player like this in a long time, our midfield is woefully short for a club of our stature, miles behind yours, Munichs, Madrids etc we badly need this type of player, of course respecting that this is a barcelona forum and i absolutely understand why seeing United fans coming on here is probably annoying, i genuinely am not here to cause any argument though, just very interested to get opinions of a player you guys will know a lot more about than myself.
Personally even though it all sounds good from a United perspective i have that nagging feeling of its all too good to be true, United just dont sign midfielders or certainly not Thiago level midfielders, this kid would solve all our problems and then some, hence the desperation of us wanting it to go through, even more so after reading your views on him as a player, glowing praise indeed.
Out of interest was this exactly the situation back in 2011? dont remember anywhere near as much fuss back then but was Thiago close to leaving for the same reasons? think that was the summer you signed Cesc?
DeGea Loves Doughnuts
New member
Well i dont think theres any doubt your board wants to keep him is there? that seems to be the only thing stopping the move, the boards desperately trying to do just that.
F
Flavia
Guest
Mazinho said something in the lines that bringing Cesc would hinder thiago's development. Pep convince him to stay, made clear he was counting on him. Now, Tito doesn't seem very convinced about Thiago.
Home of Barca Fans
