22 Jun 2026 13:30:12
Hi Eds, do you think Thiago Alcantara could be a Sporting Director?
He has played at the top level for us, Bayern and Barcelona, speaks several languages and has contacts all over Europe and Brazil and he seems, to me, to be very switched on.
{Ed001's Note - I think that he has said that is the direction he would like to go, so yes.}
22 Jun 2026 13:55:38
Could be the first ever Sporting Director that also takes training sessions.
22 Jun 2026 14:04:41
To this day, bar the return of God in 2006, Thiago was the most excited I've ever been about a signing, a truly world class player, a wizard. Unfortunately, injuries meant he was unreliable but still some of the performances he put were just magical, he was an absolute joy to watch. I would love to see him back at the club in some way.
22 Jun 2026 14:05:12
Could also be useful as a substitute in misfit... He is fantastic... Second only to Milly.
22 Jun 2026 15:05:09
Very intelligent footballer. I think he'd make a great suit. Would love to see it. I'd like to see him continue coaching for a good while first, though. I think he could be an excellent manager, and his talents would be somewhat wasted if he were fast-tracked to the boardroom.
22 Jun 2026 15:10:46
I really don't understand why people hold Thiago in such high regard. He's a stupidly talented footballer, of that there is no doubt, but he was close to awful for us.
He just never got up to Premier League speed and was constantly caught on the ball in dangerous positions.
People moan about Jones holding on to the ball too long, which he does, but Thiago was just as bad.
22 Jun 2026 15:15:34
My memories of Thiago are a little different... The great players always seemed to have more time when they had the ball. Thiago needs to be included in conversations about Iniesta and Xavi rather than including Jones.
22 Jun 2026 15:17:04
Saying Thiago was close to awful for us is just ridiculous and comparing him to Curtis Jones is ludicrous.
22 Jun 2026 15:35:19
Ed, how do one need to do or prepare to become a sporting director? Is there like a career path to be one? I assume be a scout first and then build up from there.
{Ed001's Note - it is not that simple, usually they have a related qualification, you can get a degree in sports directorship and then go from there.}
22 Jun 2026 16:16:08
Let's be real, Thiago at Bayern was one of the best midfielders I've ever seen, but he wasn't really that good for us, and I'm pretty certain that the number of games that really stick in the memory when it comes to appearances in a red shirt amount to less than 10 (incidentally, probably his best and most Thiago-esque performance of all was his debut against 10 man Chelsea).
He tended to play better in Europe, but sometimes in the league he would do feints and stepovers and no look passes with nobody around him in the center of the park, he would release the ball a split second too late in transition, and he never seemed to catch up to the speed of the game off the ball, putting in lots of late challenges and generally lacking any sort of mobility to get around the pitch (granted, like Macca, he shouldn't have been stuck in there as the deepest lying midfielder to begin with, and he seemed to play better when it was somebody else there rather than him).
Granted, injuries really disrupted any sort of momentum for him at Liverpool, but things never really seemed to come together for him and he never really looked like a natural fit for us. I guess it didn't help that Fab was injured or out of form a lot when Thiago was fit (I seem to remember) too, a prime Fab would have helped him a lot I would imagine.
22 Jun 2026 16:25:26
Come on. Xavi and Iniesta? Really?
He was a very talented footballer, as I said, but for Liverpool he was crap. He had a handful of good games but generally he just left us exposed because he lost the ball in stupid positions.
I enjoyed watching him sometimes, as he did look so elegant on the ball, but he was totally ineffective in 99% of appearances he made, and was injured the rest of the time.
People are so easily blinded by the odd neat trick that they've convinced themselves he was as good as Xavi and Iniesta. Deary me.
He might have once been a great footballer but he was spent by the time he got to us.
22 Jun 2026 16:46:34
Welcome back, Beckers. Good to see you posting again. ?
Fair play, you come up with some good usernames.
22 Jun 2026 16:51:14
Riosstepover, you need a bib for that drivel
22 Jun 2026 17:00:58
Surprised it took you that long to notice, JK, how are you mate? You well?
To add to the Thiago debate, I'd be happy for him to come in. I'm not saying I don't like him, he had an amazing career and was a top player. I just didn't see that in a Liverpool shirt.
22 Jun 2026 17:06:40
I agree with Riss and PB. He did very little during his time at LFC to warrant a love in. Fantastic player, of course, but just not with us.
22 Jun 2026 17:23:14
Bp, all good mate, excited for what next season will bring. Last season was a bit of a damp squid.
Hope you're well?
Totally get the Thiago debate. I personally loved watching him play, but I can certainly see why fans aren't overly keen on him from his time at LFC.
22 Jun 2026 17:47:02
Quite often he was late in the tackle, always looked like he'd get sent off. He never got to terms with the pace of the English game.
22 Jun 2026 17:56:38
Crackin player in a 6 or 7 aside team. I remember posters saying he would provide loads of assists, then it was the assist for the assist ?. Anyway, he comes across as a decent bloke and that's all that really matters.
22 Jun 2026 21:47:05
Never got the fuss regards to Thiago, playing for us.
22 Jun 2026 23:10:56
He was too late in his career to come and play in the fastest, most physical league for Klopp's heavy metal team.
5 years earlier he probably would have been that elite footballer for us.
For me, Thiago, Henderson and Milner were 3 great professionals at the club to hold the dressing room together and set an example for younger players.
23 Jun 2026 10:36:21
Thiago was levels, man. No doubt about it. In majority of the games he played, imo, he was simply outstanding to watch. Skill, vision, passing range, play on the half turn etc. The guy had it all. Shame he didn't get as many games as we would have wanted due to injury and age.
As someone said, he arrived too late to the PL. Having said that, there are some games he played in where he was by far and away, the best player on the pitch. I am still super glad I got to watch him play for the club I support even tho it wasn't for that long.