Reports: Thiago Alcantara to join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City
Pep Guardiola will be the Manchester City manager next season and according to reports from The Guardian, Thiago Alcantara is expected to follow the Spaniard to the Premier League. The midfielder is one of Guardiola’s favourite players and Thiago was brought to Bayern by Guardiola himself when he moved to Bavaria in 2013.
Thiago was bought from Barcelona for a fee reported to be around £17 million and although he has suffered from some injuries, he has made some important contributions as well to Guardiola’s Bayern Munich.
The Spain international just signed a new contract last summer and negotiations for the 24-year-old midfielder is expected to begin around £25 million.
Yaya Toure might leave Manchester City next season opening up space for a new midfielder in the Manchester City squad. Even if the Ivory Coast man ends up staying at City, Thiago is just the type of player Guardiola likes. Thiago is calm and composed on the ball and is a technically astute player making him the ideal player for Guardiola to begin his Manchester City squad overhaul.
The admiration between Guardiola and Thiago is mutual. When the midfielder was asked if he would have stayed at Barcelona if Pep was still the manager, he replied:
“Pep has always had a lot of faith in me, and me in him, so if he was still the coach then yes, probably.”
This season has seen Thiago play some of the best football of his career and his signing will prove to be a major coup for Guardiola and Manchester City.
Pellegrini – I am not losing control of my players
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said on Sunday he was not losing control of his players despite their increasingly disappointing form since learning that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
The 1-0 derby defeat at home to Manchester United in the Premier League was City's fifth in 10 games in all competitions, leaving the normally unflappable Pellegrini with an unusually tetchy demeanour when asked about the reasons behind the slump.
The loss not only effectively ended City's title challenge but now also leaves their Champions League place next season, once considered a near-certainty, increasingly in the balance. Fourth-placed City are one point ahead of United and West Ham.
That has led to speculation that the news announced at the start of February that Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola was taking over from the Chilean at the end of the season might have eroded the squad's desire to play for their outgoing boss.
Talking to reporters after Sunday's defeat, though, Pellegrini said: "I don't think I lose any control. If you see the attitude of the team today, (it) reflects they are all involved in what we want to do.
"It is not the best way to finish the season but, I repeat, I am happy with the attitude. All the players are focused in this season and they want to finish as near to the top of the table as we can."