Thiago will find Premier League football ‘a breeze’, says Graeme Souness
Souness claimed Thiago is reminiscent of Brazilian great Zico in his prime
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool's new midfielder Thiago Alcantara's vision and passing range is reminiscent of Brazilian great Zico's in his prime and the 29-year-old ticks all the boxes to be a big success in the Premier League, former midfielder Graeme Souness said.
Thiago joined league champions Liverpool from Bundesliga and Champions League winners Bayern Munich this month and impressed in a 45-minute cameo during their win over Chelsea.
The Spain international is set to start Monday's match against Arsenal.
"I suspect that many current Premier League players may find Thiago as difficult to deal with (as Zico)," former Liverpool captain Souness wrote in his column for the Sunday Times.
"... I reckon Thiago should find British football a breeze because he's that good. Whenever you buy a player as a manager, you're trying to eliminate risk.
"Thiago ticks all the boxes - tremendous work rate, vastly experienced, he's a creator but doesn't shy away from the hard yards either."
Souness said that Thiago's addition has put Liverpool on a different level than Monday's opponents Arsenal, who finished eighth last season but have steadily improved under manager Mikel Arteta.
"If Thiago is a signing to top off a team that was already strong enough to retain the Premier League, then Arsenal are nowhere near challenging for it," Souness added.
"... The knockout tournaments are again their best chance of success this season. Trying to retain the FA Cup, a decent run in Europe and maybe the Carabao (League) Cup."
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments