Liverpool have signed another 'transformational' player in Thiago Alcantara, according to a Spanish football expert who has seen the 29-year-old extensively during his time with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and the national team.
Thiago completed a £27 million switch from the Bundesliga giants, after he won the treble with them last season, playing an instrumental part in the latter stage of the Champions League and made an impressive Liverpool debut in the 2-0 win at Chelsea.
Domagoj Kostanjšak told Blood Red on a special Thiago Alcantara podcast: "Liverpool fans should be so excited! There are not many players out there who can do what Thiago Alcantara does to such a high level.
"It is difficult to say which formation suits him best but we have seen Bayern play a 4-2-3-1 and there Thiago works extremely well in a double-pivot.
"But if Klopp wants to continue playing with a 4-3-3 then I can see Thiago playing as a number eight, so a bit higher up the pitch.
"The number 10 - and not just Takumi Minamino - will benefit greatly from Thiago because Thiago is the kind of player that connects the thirds and the attacking players.
"Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane can run into that space and they will have an elite passer in behind them - they will just love having Thiago.
"He is a really complete midfielder and he does multiple roles in one - he can do whatever you need him to do.
"And he will bring something that Liverpool don’t have with a creative, attacking and defensive contribution all in one - it’s definitely a new dimension for the whole team and he will transform the system."
Listen to the full Thiago Alcantara podcast by clicking HERE
Thiago is perhaps the most high-profile addition Liverpool have made in the Premier League era, coming into the club with a huge pedigree having played for two of the biggest clubs in the world before arriving at Anfield.
He joins Philippe Coutinho as one of only three players to have represented Bayern, Barca and Liverpool, with the other one goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
Kostanjšak added: "He is not really like Coutinho, but they are both playmakers in a sense. But Coutinho is more advanced and more of a number 10.
"Thiago is more deep-lying and he will receive the ball from the defenders and progress the ball forward. He is a more complete midfielder than Coutinho - Coutinho is just attack-minded in a way.
"Think about deep-lying playmakers - Xabi Alonso is a decent [comparison] and there are a few players who fit the mould.
"Marco Veratti is another who is maybe the closest to Thiago because they are both really mobile and can be used in both attack and defence. There is a bit of Luka Modric in there as well and further back, even Andrea Pirlo maybe!"
Whatever the system is that Klopp deploys Thiago in, the excitement from Reds fans over the transfer is understandable.
