How Liverpool could line up this season with new signing Thiago Alcantara

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David Lynch17 September 2020

Liverpool are on the cusp of bringing one of the summer’s most intriguing transfer sagas to a conclusion as a deal for Thiago Alcantara nears.

The Bayern Munich midfielder has been linked with a move to Anfield since the transfer window opened, but the Reds finally firmed up their interest earlier this week.

A deal worth up to £25million is now close - a cut-price fee made possible by the 29-year-old’s delicate contract situation.

And Jurgen Klopp can start planning for the rest of his side’s Premier League title defence with a world-class operator in the centre of the park.

So how might Thiago fit in?

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A space in midfield may still, of course, be opened up by the departure of Gini Wijnaldum, who is attracting interest from Barcelona with just one year left on his current deal.

But the Dutchman is currently expected to stay put this summer - news that comes as a major boost to Klopp at the start of a campaign that has been compressed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Should that prove to be the case, Thiago’s arrival will only add to the competition in a well-stocked midfield department.

And it is in this context that Liverpool’s suspension of their pursuit for a fourth senior centre-back makes sense.

Fabinho’s minutes in the holding role are likely to be impacted by this latest signing, yet he will be offered another avenue into the team by his ability to play at the heart of defence.

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A change of formation hinted at during Liverpool’s pre-season friendlies could also be helpful to the Brazilian, as well as his newest colleague.

Having stuck to a 4-3-3 formation for the majority of his Anfield tenure, Klopp has begun trying out a 4-2-3-1 of late.

Thiago looks an ideal fit to play alongside another holder in that line-up, dictating the play from deep as he has done so regularly for Bayern in recent years.

That would also open up the possibility of bringing an additional attacker into the fray, with Takumi Minamino a likely candidate after an impressive pre-season.

Of course it is difficult to predict what Klopp will do with such a wealth of options at his disposal, but it is no bad problem for any manager to have.

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Possible line-up (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Thiago, Henderson; Salah, Minamino, Mane; Firmino.