After leaving Liverpool in the summer, Thiago Alcantara has taken a few steps towards becoming a coach — and he could take the next one in January.
According to the Spanish outlet MARCA, having linked up with Barcelona and Hansi Flick in the summer, he could return to the La Liga giant once again. Thiago played for Barcelona, of course, between 2009 and 2013, before joining Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
Thiago retired in the summer before spending a few months with Barcelona, where he became one of the more visible faces of pre-season, including on the Catalan side's tour of the United States. Flick wanted him as he spoke both German and Spanish and was left impressed with what Thiago had to offer.
Now, the ex-Liverpool ace could be in line to return to Barcelona for another stint as a coach. It is not clear yet whether that would be another short-term arrangement or something more permanent.
"I miss being around — being around the team and the locker room," Thiago told Liverpool's official website in September when he returned to Anfield for the first time since leaving. "I miss the competitive part of the game.
"But at the end, the decision [to retire] was forced by physical issues. But I’m just keeping fit and trying to play as much as I can with my friends, and trying to be alive in the game."
Liverpool.com says: Is it too lazy to suggest that players in Thiago's position (especially those like Xabi Alonso and Pep Guardiola, who were silky and slick) tend to become good coaches? Possibly... but it's not impossible to see it happening. The Spaniard was always intelligent and composed in possession and he knows the very top level of the game inside out. That has to be a good start.