When the prospect of moving to Liverpool Football Club became a genuine possibility, Thiago Alcantara sought to glean some insider knowledge from two faces familiar to Reds supporters.
The midfielder completed a transfer from FC Bayern Munich on Friday afternoon to become Jürgen Klopp’s second signing of the summer, following Kostas Tsimikas.
It comes after Thiago spent seven years at the Allianz Arena and won a league, cup and Champions League treble in 2019-20.
So, when switching from Munich to Merseyside, the 29-year-old was keen to get the inside track on the club – and he did so by picking the brains of Xabi Alonso and Philippe Coutinho, who both returned glowing recommendations.