Cameroonian defender Joel Matip and Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara will depart Liverpool FC at the end of the 2023/24 season upon the expiration of their contracts, the club has confirmed.
Thiago Alcantara – Joining Liverpool from Bayern Munich in 2020, Thiago has not been able to replicate his illustrious career with the Reds after being struck with injuries in all of his seasons at Anfield. This season, the 33-year-old made just five appearances in all competitions for the club, a development many fans described as unhealthy.
The gifted midfielder was featured 89 times, registering three goals and six assists to his name. The Emirates FA Cup and FA Community Shield were the two trophies added to his archive.
Liverpool Manager Jürgen Klopp said it was a privilege to have him at Liverpool:
“Before he even came to Liverpool, I believed that if you really love football, it would make a lot of sense to watch Thiago Alcantara play,” said Jürgen Klopp.
“Technically, he is so, so good. A talent who could play in any team in the world, and it was a privilege to have him with us.
“I already knew a lot about him as a footballer before he got here – what he did at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, how could you not? – and I could not have been happier when he decided to take on a new challenge with us.”
Joel Matip’s confirmation of leaving was also disclosed by the club. Joel Matip will bid farewell to Liverpool FC this summer after an eight-season spell during which he helped the club to some of its most memorable modern moments.
The 32-year-old was one of the earliest players to have joined Jürgen Klopp, signing from Schalke 04 in the 2016/17 season.
The calm and composed defender had 201 appearances, 11 goals, seven winner’s medals – including Champions League and Premier League success – and countless mazy dribbles out from defence.
What Jürgen Klopp said about the departing defender:
“In all the years that I have been involved in football, I am not sure I have come across too many players who are more loved than Joel Matip. I’m not even sure it would be possible to say anything bad about him,” said Klopp.
“A wonderful professional, a wonderful footballer, and a wonderful human being – we have been blessed to have him with us for as long as we have, and now all we can do is wish him well as he heads off in a new direction.
“Joel’s qualities as a player are there for all to see, and as a club, we have benefited from them since the first moment that he joined. I don’t think he has had too many headlines over the years, but he has always been a very famous figure within our group.”
