Zinedine Zidane ousting Jose Mourinho at Manchester United might tempt Thiago Alcantara to finally make switch... after Bayern Munich stole him from under their noses in 2013
* England were on receiving end of Thiago Alcantara's excellence last weekend
* The Spaniard has been linked with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City
* The latest suitor to be thrown out of the rumour mill is Manchester United
* He is one of several high profile names said to be on Zinedine Zidane's wishlist
Thiago Alcantara or nothing, as Pep Guardiola once famously put it. When the Spain and Bayern Munich midfielder is playing like he is at the moment, you see what Guardiola meant.
England were on the receiving end of Thiago's excellence last weekend, as he conducted Spain to a 2-1 comeback win at Wembley, prompting several commentators to remark that he is exactly the kind of player that Gareth Southgate needs.
Sadly for Southgate, he cannot solve that problem by simply signing Thiago. For club coaches, though, that is a genuine option, and in recent months, the Bayern midfielder has been linked with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City.
England were on the receiving end of Thiago Alcantara's excellence at Wembley last weekend. Thiago is on Zinedine Zidane's wishlist if he takes over from Jose Mourinho at Man United. Thiago nearly moved to United back in 2013 but Bayern beat them to the midfielder's signature
The latest suitor to be burped out of the rumour mill is Manchester United. Amid reports that Zinedine Zidane is set to oust Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, Thiago is one of several high profile names said to be on the Frenchman's wishlist.
United, of course, have been here before. They came close to signing Thiago in 2013, before Bayern beat them to the punch. Barely had the words 'Thiago or nothing' left Guardiola's lips before Bayern swooped to whisk him from under the noses of United.
Six years later, the chances of Thiago heading to Old Trafford may be higher, and not only because playing under Zidane would be an altogether a more attractive prospect than playing under David Moyes. After a frustrating, injury-ridden five years in Munich, it has also long been on the cards that Thiago may move away.
The midfielder has always been something of a enigma to the Bayern faithful. Despite flashes of brilliance — including a glorious bicycle kick against Stuttgart in his first year - he has often struggled to make himself indispensable, and live up to the tantalising promise of 'Thiago or nothing'. An almost endless string of injuries has not helped.
This summer, the dream appeared to be over. As rumours swirled that Thiago could be heading to Real Madrid, new Bayern coach Niko Kovac admitted that he could 'make no guarantees' that the midfielder would stay. Having been brought to Bayern by aesthete and former mentor Guardiola, it made sense that Thiago would leave under the more pragmatic, less internationally renowned Kovac.
Yet football can be a tricky thing to predict, as every punter, journalist and fan knows all too well. Just as he appeared to be heading for the exit, Thiago suddenly began to blossom under Kovac.
'Thiago blends the abilities of Spanish-Brazilian footballer with that of a German,' gushed the Sueddeutsche Zeitung last month. 'The elegant, chipped pass belongs to his repertoire as much as the perfect slide tackle.'
The praise came directly after a marvellous performance in the German Supercup, and Thiago would build on that with excellent displays against Hoffenheim and Stuttgart.
Contrary to expectation, Kovac has found a role for Thiago where Carlo Ancelotti and Jupp Heynckes struggled to do so. Dropping the Spaniard deeper to play as a holding midfielder in a 4-1-4-1, Kovac has immediately worked out a way to incorporate him alongside the likes of Leon Goretzka and Thomas Muller.
Thiago, for his part, has repaid him in kind. As the Sueddeutsche reported, he has combined his unquestionable technical brilliance with the kind of physical engagement Kovac demands.
The season is only three games old, and Kovac's reign is yet to stumble on rocky ground. Yet Manchester United and Real Madrid should be warned that Thiago is beginning to look more comfortable at Bayern than ever before.
'You would be ill-advised to leave Munich,' Bild columnist Raimund Hinko wrote in an open letter to Thiago last month. 'Bayern and you could, after six years, prove to be the perfect marriage.'
It may not have been a dream marriage thus far, and yet Bayern are not likely to give Thiago up lightly. Five years on, Guardiola's adage stands. He may not be perfect, but if you don't have Thiago, you risk having nothing.
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