Liverpool announced on Friday that Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip will depart the club when their contracts expire at the end of the season.
Thiago, the Spain international midfielder, arrived at Liverpool from Bayern Munich for £20 million ($25 million) in 2020. However, injuries have hampered his time at the club, restricting him to just 98 appearances, with only one this season.
“Before he even came to Liverpool I believed that if you really love football it would make a lot of sense if you watched Thiago Alcantara play,” said manager Jurgen Klopp, who is also leaving the club at the end of the season.
“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.”
He added: “I know injuries have been a frustration for him and also for us but the level that he was able to play at when he was available was incredible. This is what I will remember.”
Joel Matip, the 32-year-old central defender, has been with Liverpool for eight years since joining from Schalke on a free transfer.
During his time at the club, he played a crucial role in winning several trophies, including the Champions League and Premier League titles. Matip, a former Cameroon international, made 201 appearances for Liverpool and was one of Jurgen Klopp’s early signings. However, he has been sidelined since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during a match against Fulham in early December.
“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,” Klopp said.
“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.”
Liverpool host Wolves on Sunday in their final game of the Premier League season, guaranteed to finish third in the table.
