Official: Thiago Alcantara Joins Bayern Munich For €25 Million

FC Barcelona have confirmed the departure of Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcântara, who signed a four year deal with Bayern Munich, where he will be reunited with his former manager, Pep Guardiola. Under Guardiola’s management, Thiago made his debut with the first team at Barcelona, and after Pep previously admitted that he wanted to make Thiago his first signing at Bayern; it was just a matter of time before this deal was ultimately confirmed.

Thiago has not bought out his own contract as some expected, purely because the cost to Bayern Munich would have been significantly higher if they had, instead the two clubs negotiated a fee of €25 million – however, from a Barcelona perspective, the exact fee doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Thiago has finally left the club, just a day before the official start of pre-season; leaving Barcelona a little short of cover in the middle of the park. Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta remain first-choice, with Cesc Fàbregas rotating into the midfield as and when necessary. But aside from those three players, Barcelona are struggling for options.

Do they give Alex Song a chance to shine in a more advanced role, just as Seydou Keita did before him? Perhaps keep Sergi Roberto at the club amidst interest from the likes of Real Betis and give him an opportunity to break into the first-team picture? Or maybe enter the market for a replacement with the fee they just received forThiago?

Whatever the case, we wish Thiago the best of luck at Bayern Munich, and would like to thank him for his years of service – even if we are disappointed that he isn’t sticking around to fight for his place in the first team.