5 reasons why Barcelona must make Thiago Alcantara their top transfer target
Barcelona aren't very well known for their shrewd transfer market acumen, and for good reason. Barring a few incredible and rather expensive transfers, the past few seasons have been, to an extent, a failure for the club in the transfer market.
While there have been a few excellent signings - Samuel Umtiti, Ter Stegen and Nelson Semedo to name a few - a large percentage of Barcelona's transfers have either failed immediately or fizzled out.
Be it the failure to sign Kylian Mbappe or Barcelona's unending pursuit of Philippe Coutinho, the club's board seem toothless when it comes to signing world-class players.
The past month, however, has yielded some good news. Former player and youth product Thiago Alcantara has left the door open to joining his boyhood club. Let's have a look at a few reasons why the Barcelona board should prioritise his return to the Camp Nou:
#5 Return of a fan favourite
Barcelona, in the recent past, have been accused of discarding several of their promising youth products without sufficient cause. Prospects from La Masia are either poached by other clubs, or are loaned out to spend the season on the bench in other leagues, doing neither the club, nor the players any good.
Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic have been successful in their own right and have won the love and respect of the fanbase, but there is a general feeling among Cules that the club has neglected their famed academy. There was a time in the not so distant past when the first team was made up almost entirely of La Masia players.
The return of Thiago might help allay some of the fans' fears, to a slight extent. When asked about his future, Thiago said, "Barcelona will always be my home, not just because I love the club, but also the city. You never know if I will return because I am really happy at Bayern, but football changes a lot. Anything can happen."
Negotiating a return to the Camp Nou will not be an easy task, with Thiago contracted to Bayern Munich till 2021. However, with the midfielder's recent comments, fans of the club will hope for the Spaniard's arrival as soon as possible.