Thiago Alcantara | Signed for Bayern Munich

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Revan said:
Anyway if Thiago comes here, forms a good partnership with Carrick and dominate the league (I think that he has the quality to be the best midfielder in England even in his first season though it would be very difficult) he has a slim chance going to WC. Watching Barca games from bench would not give him even that slim chance.
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Well there you go then. There's also the fact that whilst he'd have to do something very special to get decent playing time, there's surely leeway for a few ins and outs amongst the squad players. Silva, Mata and Cazorla, for example, all play essentially the same position, and none of them regularly get into the team. Xavi, on the other hand, has no direct replacement. Alonso, Busquets and Martinez are all more defensive, less box-to-box. So if Spain weren't so conservative about always sticking with the senior players, one of the former three (Silva, based on his actual form at the moment, but perhaps Cazorla because he's further out on the fringes of the national set-up) could easily be dropped to make way for Thiago.

Of course, I think playing for the sake of playing is probably a bigger part of it than playing to get into the national side. No-one wants to be sitting on the bench if they're good enough to be starting for the best teams in the world.
 
Surely he'll go to the WC anyway, having just been Captain & been awarded MVP in the recent U-21 tournament?
 
Sir A1ex said:
Doesn't make any sense... buy-back clauses go on un-tested players to keep the risk down, not on some guy you're planning to build your midfield around.
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Exactly. A club of our stature wouldn't agree to such a clause. Why would we build our entire team around a player that could be taken from us at any moment? Rather better not to waste time.
 
I don't see him doing it but, Del Bosque should drop a couple of the older guard and get in a couple of the younger guys who will be hungry for success. For example, Alonso has been poor for the last year, so there could be an opening there.

Provided Thiago has a really good season.
 
Meh, we had a buyback clause for Rossi, no? And that was voided as soon as he renewed (I think). So give barca the buyback clause and fecking renew his contract after a season. ha. feckers.
 
Wherever Alcantara goes or if he stays, he's not going to get much playing time in World Cup 2016. Who exactly would he displace on the national team? MAYBE if he scores 30 goals and puts in 25 assists he just MIGHT squeeze into Xavi's place, but that's hard to imagine. Fabregas and Cazorla would have to be in pretty poor form for Alcanatara to get a whiff of action in a meaningful game.

All of which is to say that going to United hardly increases his chances of starting in a meaningful game for Spain in 2016. Still, I think he'd wise to to move to United. It's not as though he would be forced to remain at United forever. But if he wants meaningful action at the club level over the next two seasons, he's not going to get it at Barcelona.
 
Feck off with the buy back clause. Who the hell do they think they're selling to. We activate his release clause and tell em to feck off.
 
Gambit said:
Feck off with the buy back clause. Who the hell do they think they're selling to. We activate his release clause and tell em to feck off.
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There's more than that.. Barca could get hostile and refuse to sell.
 
This is the most pointless release clause in the history of mankind to grace a players contract. Utterly fecking pointless.
 
Everest Red said:
There's more than that.. Barca could get hostile and refuse to sell.
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Pah! What are they going to do - pass the contract back n' forth between themselves in little triangles until our reps get knackered?
 
Ruud10 said:
Wherever Alcantara goes or if he stays, he's not going to get much playing time in World Cup 2016. Who exactly would he displace on the national team? MAYBE if he scores 30 goals and puts in 25 assists he just MIGHT squeeze into Xavi's place, but that's hard to imagine. Fabregas and Cazorla would have to be in pretty poor form for Alcanatara to get a whiff of action in a meaningful game.
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I don't know... tournaments are unpredictable beasts, and the World Cup is the longest of the lot. If you make the plane, you've got a chance.

Even a couple of decent sub appearances on the way to a Spain Victory would be a massive prize to chase. Add in the odd injury or suspension and you never know. feck it, just being on the bench would be priceless, they all get a medal, no?
 
Sir A1ex said:
I don't know... tournaments are unpredictable beasts, and the World Cup is the longest of the lot. If you make the plane, you've got a chance.

Even a couple of decent sub appearances on the way to a Spain Victory would be a massive prize to chase. Add in the odd injury or suspension and you never know. feck it, just being on the bench would be priceless, they all get a medal, no?
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There'll be a space for him if Del Bosque doesn't take Reina & his pom poms.
 
A first refusal would be alright, but no chance that we're going to accept the buy-back clause. It would be better to just pay the taxes, show Barca the finger and say to them that you really care about Catalonia that much that you forced us to give about 10m to Spanish government. cnuts! :lol:
 
As my priorities have been shit today and I've been at work I haven't really kept up. Is it pretty much certain that he has agreed terms and it's now Barcelona that are trying to scupper the deal or is it all still very weak rumours ?
 
Barca should play nice else we should tap up his brother :)
 
Twatbo said:
As my priorities have been shit today and I've been at work I haven't really kept up. Is it pretty much certain that he has agreed terms and it's now Barcelona that are trying to scupper the deal or is it all still very weak rumours ?
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I'd say it's about one level above very weak rumours. Probably something around pretty weak rumours.
 
Striker10 said:
Barca should play nice else we should tap up his brother :)
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Yep, he seems talented too. feck it, get Sergi Roberto too. We should sign all Barca yound midfielders. They can have Ashley Young on the other hand.
 
Everest Red said:
He might replace Carzola if he has a stellar season.
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Spain don't use wingers most of the time anyway so I don't see why the likes of Pedro or Navas would be more likely to go to the World Cup than Thiago.
 
Sarni said:
Spain don't use wingers most of the time anyway so I don't see why the likes of Pedro or Navas would be more likely to go to the World Cup than Thiago.
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Navas is always excellent for Spain and is their plan B, a good plan B in fact. He was probably their main reason why they won the final in 2010.
 
It seems that Barca have cocked up massively here and are just trying to salvage something out of the deal. I don't see us going for a buy back clause but maybe a first refusal would be included.

I think the best Barca can hope for is that we pay a little extra if they start quibbling over tax etc. They may ask for a slightly inflated fee in order to get the deal done quickly, else they'll play silly buggers and try to delay in any way possible.

We'll be keen to avoid delay if there is a deal on the table because he is simply that good. We don't want to risk anybody else nipping in or Thiago getting frustrated and changing his decision so I think it's entirely possible we could pay slightly more to get it done.
 
Sir A1ex said:
I don't know... tournaments are unpredictable beasts, and the World Cup is the longest of the lot. If you make the plane, you've got a chance.

Even a couple of decent sub appearances on the way to a Spain Victory would be a massive prize to chase. Add in the odd injury or suspension and you never know. feck it, just being on the bench would be priceless, they all get a medal, no?
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Injuries could happen, no doubt about it. So maybe Thiago sneaks in a few minutes here and there. I don't think anyone disputes the strong likelihood he would make the team and get his medal, but the question on the table is whether going to United increases or decreases his chances of starting for Spain -- in a meaningful game -- in 2016. Whatever his decision, he's not going to start for Spain unless there's an epidemic of injuries in the Spanish midfield. It's impossible to imagine Del Bosque sitting down Iniesta, Xavi or Fabregas in favor of Alcantara. Cold-blooded logic may dictate it when they get there, that would be like benching Dwayne Wade because Norris Cole is in sensational form -- it just doesn't happen. I don't pass judgment on Del Bosque, but I don't see him as a manager who would bench Iniesta and start Alcantara in a semifinal game short of serious injury. No doubt he'd be happy to throw Thiago a bone in a meaningless last match in the group stages, but that's about it.
 
It's the only way he'll get in the national squad for WC2014. He has to play 3000 games for every 1 Xavi plays. #playingcatchup
 
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